(like women are more likely to take time off their careers to care sometime in the future) we should, ooo lets do something nice and arbitrary, lets say lock them up one day a year. (like for women something arbitry like a 20% dock in pay). How do we justify it?

Fay, Chennai, India

We say its only fair for society, men are more likely to commit crimes. (We say its only fair for the companies, women are more likly to leave work to become full time carers). This is how ridiculous Tad's argument is.

Fay, Chennai, India

There are many companies where the management is conscious of a supposedly 'male' image, eg in engineering, and the feminist 'glass-ceiling' propaganda, such that women now get fast-tracked to promotion on the basis of gender alone, leaving more able male colleagues behind on lower status and pay.

Paul, Coventry,

In my own experiences over many years, I agree that women should be paid the same as men only if they do the same job for the same number of years.

It is absolutely the case that men have much less sympathy for 'family difficulties', and that most women work fewer hours, and work for fewer years.

cap, Lincoln, UK

re all of those quoting women's time off work as a reason to justify the pay-gap: If a couple is having a child and looking at how to organize it all it makes economic sense to have the person who earns less put their career second. The way things are at the moment, that person is usually the woman.

Maggie, Berlin,

Which means unequal pay is one of the key reasons for what you use to justify unequal pay. Fair? Hardly.

Maggie, Berlin,

G. Parker, New Zealand - there is no retirement age in NZ and superannuation is not paid to either men or women until the age of 65. Where do you get your "men work five years longer than women" from?

Vivienne , London,

Phil. Wimbledon is an event with market. Sport doesn't run on hourly rates.

Paula Radcliffe works longer to run a marathon than the male world record holder. Higher pay for her on your basis. But she often gets more simply because of (guess what) her market value.

Vicky, Germany,

Tad's diatribe is absurd. Few people today will work in the same industry for 40 years. Besides, if women were to be paid less, then in a credit crunch, it makes perfect economic sense to sack all those men who will have priced themselves out of the market, with their excessive wage demands.

Kate Winspur, Melbourne, Australia

men progress further and faster because, by and large, they are prepared to put up with stress, unpleasant conditions, difficult bosses and colleagues etc to get on. Women, again by and large, have as their priority a congenial working atmosphere. Once enjoying that, they are happy to stay there.

gordon w, didcot, UK

All other things being equal, women should be paid the same as men. However, all other things are not equal; to the favour of women and to the detriment of men. Hence men should be paid more than women.

Arcland, Seaham,

And women tend to have 'problems' periodically with time not functioning properly or time off.

Then you have the stupid Wimbeldon Tennis prizes - women wanting the same amount as men for playing 3 sets when men can play up to 5 sets.

Phil, Preston,

Pay should be determined by one thing alone - and that is performance. If a person is good at what they do, they should be recognised for it; and that it not effected by sex, age, creed, colour or anything else.

There can be no excuse for any type of discrimination in this day and age.

Tony, Mayfield, England

Should men be paid more than other men?

Richard Hoblyn FSI, Limoges, FRANCE

In the companies where I have worked there was a larger turn-over of men than women. Men will move to a job on the other side of the country to improve their career and their wives will go with them (but not the other way around). They then receive more pay than women to try and retain them!

Sarah Knight, Oxford,

There should not be equal pay. More time off is taken by women. So why should they receive the same pay.

victor arram, westcliff,

The issue may be one of measurement. Currently retirement ages are 65 for men and 60 for women, who live longer, and therefore receive more in pensions. On that basis paying men and women "equally" makes men cheaper, and therefore more attractive to employ.

Dave, Slough,

G. Parker from NZ: The state pension age in the UK is now equal between men and women born after April 1955.

Ruth, Reading, UK

Tad, your argument that companies invest in employees and expect to see a return over the next four decades is clearly false, employees move between companies and even industries all the time, long gone are the days of a job for life.

Brett, London, UK

If basic saleries(?) were scrapped and everyone got paid by the hour (at the same rate) im sure we would see an increase in workplace productivity.

Getting paid for the amount you do is the fairest way.....gues id better get back to work!

sophie, northampton,

As men, on average, have longer (and unbroken) careers and that it is the last years that are the best paid it is a simple truism that men's average pay is higher, and deservedly so.

Mal, Chester, uk

How about equal pay for equal work? Both men and women should start out on the same salary, but if either has a career break, to have kids, write a novel or whatever, they can't presume to come back to the same salary they would have had if they hadn't had a break. Ultimately it's about choices.

Bill, Yeovil, UK

Indeed Parker and the number of years National insurance contributions are paid to receive the exact same state pension you mentioned is 39 years for women and 44 years for men.

Molly needs to do her homework as women are already compensated.

mortimer, Reading,

What are the comparisons? A single woman to a married man with a wife and children? Perhaps what ought to be addressed is why -in the purely monetary system as it exists today- are some people paid a lot more than others?
People all ought to have the same quality of life without prejudice.

Peter Richardson, Kippens, Canada

Women should get paid on an 'equal' basis. However the definition of 'equal' is a long way off the definition used by the 'equal opportunities quango'.

Simon, York,

Why should women be paid more to compensate for domestic serfdom?

They choose to do this - Nobody makes them have children and I just don't believe that they're selflessly raising the next generation for the good of society.

Don't expect to be compensated for what is essentially a selfish act

sarah, london,

I'm 31, I was sterilised at 24, I've never had children and never will. Does Tad think I should be paid the same as a man for the same job? Not every woman is a mother-in-waiting. And more & more men have the opportunity to be stay-at-home or part-time working fathers these days.

L Porter, London,

This is such a vain debate... You will never get a male chauvinist to agree with a feminist as both are of bad faith to the highest degree. And real life is just so much more complicated than this low-level discussion...

Elise, Paris, France

As you say Tad women live longer, thanks to age discrimination laws we can work 40 years + too. The only difference is we'll still be working when you're pushing daises. We'll probably have to as we were thoughtlessly raising the next generation instead of paying into our pension scheme <roll eyes>

Emma, Southampton, UK

It's strange how the retirement age never seems to be on women's agenda. Men work five years longer than women.They want equal pay ,but not equal retirement ages it seems. Can you imagine if this was reversed and men sat at home five years before women. Women seem to want it all.

g.Parker, auckland , new zealand