Norway implemented a quota system related to the ratio of males and females in Norwegian companies’ boardrooms, and those companies have until January 31, 2008 to comply by ensuring at least 40% of their board members are women. If Norwegian companies don’t comply, they’ll face legal action.Â

Quotas have long been the subject of debate related to equal opportunity employment, but are the really helpful? Norway seems to think so, and now an Italian company, Luxottica (NYSE: LUX) best known for its Ray-Ban sunglasses brand, is jumping on the quota bandwagon by stating they will fill at least 30% of their top management positions with women within the next two years.

The United Kingdom has been considering implementing quotas, but the popular opinion is it’s unlikely to happen. What do you think of quotas in hiring? Despite my advocacy of women in business and my obvious objection to the imbalance in the business world (specifically Corporate America), I don’t agree with setting quotas. I prefer the idea of setting targets to work toward a diverse workforce at every level. The best teams include a diverse group of people bringing varied ways of thinking, working and producing results. A balanced team should be the goal. With that said, I do still believe that women are typically considered second-class citizens in the business world. In my opinion, changing that perception is the most important step to changing the imbalance in the board room, not setting quotas.

What do you think?