Female representation at Australasian specialty conferences

The use of targets for female representation is controversial: some argue that these unfairly favour women and that selection should be based on merit alone. However, there is a measurable bias against women even in apparently objective, merit-based selection processes. This is likely to be amplified in informal selection processes such as invitations to speak at a conference. Attempting to select candidates based on merit alone may even increase unconscious gender bias. Setting targets for female representation is a transparent and effective way to counteract unconscious gender bias.