Separate Literary Prizes for Women -- Good or Bad Idea?

In my post yesterday, I quoted A. S. Byatt as saying that women who write smart, demanding novels are seen as unnatural. In the same Guardian online article, and elsewhere, Byatt was quoted as disapproving of the Orange Prize, a British prize for women writers. I can see Byatt's point about its being demeaning to have a separate prize for women, but I disagree with her. Since the playing field in literature, like that in most areas, is still not completely level, I am in favor of anything which helps to highlight great literature by women writers. I am equally in favor of the many other targeted prizes, such as those for British Commonwealth writers, those for writers of certain nationalities or ethnicities, and those for writers under thirty.