Two thoughts. It is the experiences and wisdom from the other 99% of a cardinal's time which informs the vote cast at a papal election. Hopefully, the cardinals are men of faith who work hard when at their desks and amongst the people of God. Also, back in Paul's day, he considered including women in the conclave with "temporary" cardinalatial status, in an effort to increase the role of women. That idea was not brought to its fruition, obviously, so your point is a good one, although the bit about "then return to their former status. No one would miss them" seems a bit snarky.