so positive discrimination, like all forms of discrimination, is bad. i think i agree with you here, with the caveat that we're not starting from an equal base, when it comes to race or gender, so i do get why the argument is made. if there wasn't an entrenched gender pay gap, we could just leave it to the market. would the outcome be the same if there were more woman on boards or would the balance change? who knows.
in the meantime, leaving it to the market, basically means we continue to leave it to wealthy, white men to continue ruling the world. sometimes government intervention is the answer. it might not be egalitarian in the short term, and it would be be shit for you and i, but it also might produce a better corporate culture and more stable global economy in the long term.
incidentally, i think you'll enjoy this
https://www.buzzfeed.com/tomphillips/twitterstorm-2018?utm_term=.inXLb02RP#.xkAAbkREV