Are gender quotas inconsistent with political meritocracy?

Are gender quotas inconsistent with political meritocracy?

Read the following columns: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/2017/03/13/gender-quotas-and-the-crisis-of-the-mediocre-man/ and http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/merit-vs-equality-argument/ and https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/rebecca-baker-jobs-should-be-based-on-merit-not-gender-quotas/news-story/be4e85419700f0f2c479c97c0731f93d and https://nationalpost.com/opinion/robyn-urback-gender-quotas-are-dumb-but-lets-stop-pretending-cabinet-appointments-are-based-on-merit