Let us now forevermore refer to this as the Babes-on-Boards issue. Perhaps we can get Norway's four newspapers to start using that title. Always.I put this forward because it would be disrespectful and ungentlemanly to use the term Ho's-on-Boards.

Worse than in the EU, this is kind of socialist  fascism.

Because, after all, it is the task of a business to produce goods and services? Or to implement gov't decrees?  :)

Frank Lee: The Norwegians have socked away enough of their oil and gas profits that they can now indulge in foolish, sanctimonious behavior like this.  Indeed, they will be able to live off of their investments for some time -- and they know it.

Though I agree with your other points, I must disagree with the ones above. On the contrary:
 

• North Sea oil is past its peak
• The Norwegian economy and labor market will be ill-prepared to compete once the reserves run out
• Government support of private sector initiative in other industries grossly lags behind Sweden and Finland

 
Therefore, wasting funds on this sort of "behavior" is tantamount to economic suicide; Norway is racing against the clock, whether it knows it or not.

Brilliant. Instead of taking someone who is qualified for the job, you force a company to follow a quota. Bravo."How to destroy the economy in one easy step" made by Norway.

Ms Bekkemellem, go home, do something productive, raise a few kids. Then again, better not. We don't want such stupidity being spread any further.

The Norwegians have socked away enough of their oil and gas profits that they can now indulge in foolish, sanctimonious behavior like this.  Indeed, they will be able to live off of their investments for some time -- and they know it.  That's why this kind of goofy legislation has support among the electorate.  The coalition government, as far as I can tell, is not suffering a meltdown in popularity because of its oddball tendencies.  Norwegian investments can subsidize oddball tendencies.  The whole thing is sort of fascinating, in a way.  It's a bit like American obesity:  when immigrants and lower-class natives suddenly find themselves with a sizable income and access to cheap food, they will eat themselves sick.  Humans have a tendency to indulge in self-destructive behavior as long as it still rewards them in some way, and feeling sanctimonious is reward enough for the Norwegians.

No free enterprise in Norway.  When the oil runs out they will merely be slaves of the Socialist State.

Aftenposten: Equality minister Karita Bekkemellem told newspaper Aftenposten on Friday that those companies failing to meet the quota will face involuntary dissolution from January 1. Many are within traditionally male-oriented branches like the offshore oil industry, shipping and finance. […] “My advice to them is that they take responsibility and find the women they need,” she said. She called the law “historic and radical,” and said it will be enforced.
 
I am curious as to whether Ms. Bekkemellem and the cabinet that enacted this gender quota legislation considered the adverse impact it will make on the shareholder confidence and corporate governance of the affected firms. Shareholders who have a stake in the company, not politicians, are supposed to appoint and remove directors. If these companies are forced to comply with the quota, what will happen to the appointment, removal and monitoring of senior management? What will happen to board cohesiveness, which is under enough strain (e.g. domineering CEOs, infrequent meetings, etc.) as it is? What will happen to shareholders' confidence in management and directors if 40% of the board is appointed according to gender as opposed to ability? Nothing hurts corporate profits and causes investor flight quicker than such state intervention.
 
Bekkemellem: "My advice to them is that they take responsibility and find the women they need...”
 
Shareholders do not discriminate when it comes to their capital. If they believed that women made as good directors as men, women would already comprise on average 50%, and if better directors than men, upwards of that figure.
 
Fjordman commented on this legislation sometime ago:
 
"Investors are already protesting after Norway's new justice minister and government minister in charge of equality issues announced the change in corporate regulations. Retailing entrepreneur Ola Mæle, for example, thinks the mandate will actually harm women's careers, not enhance them. Mæle told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) Friday morning that women brought onto company boards simply because they're women may leave them in a position of being "second-class" directors."
 
Aftenposten: Norway's center-left government has issued a warning to 140 companies that still don't have enough women on their boards of directors: Appoint more, or be dissolved.

I would think that financial penalties would be preferable to dissolution as if the former would quickly determine the opportunity cost of the quota (i.e. would the penalties be worth it to keep existing male directors, and if so, how much?), and the latter would be disastrous. I suppose the corporate assets would be divided up with all the corruption, nepotism and pork barrelling that Norwegian politicians and bureaucrats can muster.

Simply do as the government says........hire the women as managers for their foreign operations in Saudi Arabia, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Chad, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Pakistan........you get the general idea. :^)

And do we know yet what percentage of those women will have to be lesbians ?