I suggest you read the system described by the poster from feddit.nl just below, which just removes the kind of professionally irrelevant information (including gender, race and so on) from being in the candidate selection process.

Such systems are meant to removed descrimination (even subconscious one) rather than discriminating in the opposite direction. "Discriminating but the other way around" just preserves a mindset that people should be seen and treated differently depending on gender or sexual orientation and, as I've observed first hand, that kind of system yields environments which are even more sexist.

Having lived in both Britain (which apes a lot of things from the US) and The Netherlands, I can tell you that the latter country is way much more naturally equalitarian (gender-wise and even more so when it comes to sexual orientation) than the former.

(Not perfect, mind you, but way better than average)

The knee-jerk "this must be sexism" reaction to criticism of the "let's keep treating people differently depending on the genetics they were born with" of the "anti"-descrimination systems in the Anglo-Saxon countries, in my view partly explains why in the decade and a half since I've left The Netherlands I've seen no improvement towards the much more natural gender and sexual-orientation equality of The Netherlands in either Britain or the US, quite the contrary.

I'm sorry but compared with what I've seen working in other countries the system you defend is deeply flawed and preserves the very same ideological architecture of judging people on their gender, sexual-orientation or race rather than actual personal knowledge and track record, as the one that underpins Fascists ideologies. (Which is maybe why the Neoliberals just love it)

Some people genuinely have huge assumptions about the intellectual capability of women and/or their suitability for certain occupations: for example, the "women are very emotional" used as excuse for not giving them certain responsibilities such as management positions, is far too common, especially in countries were the main brand of sexism is the so-called "Benevolent Sexism" (called that not because it's actually good but because it's disguised as being for the protection of women) such as Britain.

Similarly there are prejudices about people with sexual orientations other than heterosexuality in the workplace, usually of the "they'll make other people uncomfortable" kind.

Sadly, still today, far too many people genuinely think along such lines and some aren't even aware that they're doing it because their whole lives they've lived around people who do it so for them "it's how everybody thinks" and the "normal" way of thinking.