This does make sense. If done in moderation there is nothing wrong with hiring minority groups. The problem arises when those minority groups are so unqualified that they actually burden the team with their presence.
In my case I have been put in the awkward position of working with 4 male coworkers on a project I knew nothing about, I was getting paid the same as them while contributing nothing to the project. I felt humiliated and asked to be paid as an intern but my manager just smiled and said I was there for support and that my coworkers enjoyed my presence on the team as it was "A breath of fresh air to have a female in the work place". I quit the next week.
I totally agree. Basing hiring decisions on the color of someones skin or the form of their genitalia is one of the most blatant forms of discrimination. The fact that it is widely accepted by our society makes me sick to my stomach.
I am a female and I just hate it when a company recruiter says he can get me a job in a position I know I am not at all qualified for. Additionally I got scholarship money when going to school when those much more dedicated than me did not simply because they had something hanging between their legs.
Obviously these companies need to hire employees to do non-engineering tasks and in an effort to seem "diverse"
They likely hire only females for these jobs. It would make sense that the company had 20%/80% doing actual engineering work as there is no reason females cannot do just as good a job with the same experience. That means that half the females hired at these companies are doing non-engineering work which pays lower. This would account for the pay gap. When people ask for further diversity at these companies and equal pay what they are asking is to give an unfair advantage to the less qualified.
I am aware this is an unpopular opinion but I felt I needed to post it as I saw someone else posted it and then took it down after being harassed.
In my case I have been put in the awkward position of working with 4 male coworkers on a project I knew nothing about, I was getting paid the same as them while contributing nothing to the project. I felt humiliated and asked to be paid as an intern but my manager just smiled and said I was there for support and that my coworkers enjoyed my presence on the team as it was "A breath of fresh air to have a female in the work place". I quit the next week.