While I agree with your intent, I think this is incorrect. The need to quantize things is inherent in taking power over them - via government, corporate management, community groups, whatever. A large section of humanity's challenges can be translated back to what we choose to measure, how we measure it, when we measure it, what goals we set for it, etc. It is why we argue over statistical "facts" so much.

Seeing Like a State is a great book diving into this topic if you haven't read it. It diverts into a more depressing view of government efforts, but I have yet to find a good refutation of this particular topic, although I would be pleased to encounter one.

I do feel like title IX suffers from the same problem that gay marriage did, insofar as it was a “win” that was very quantifiable, easy to implement, and almost comically far off from the kinds of change that was being asked for. Great, women can play college football, but what about addressing women-specific concerns, or funding programs that are heavily preferred by women?

I absolutely am not arguing against title IX, only to say that it is actually a great example of the kind of sterilization and heavy handedness that happens when the government gets involved.

An even better example to your point though might be the ADA. A giant pain in the ass to every business owner and contractor, but ultimately great for society.