Disappointed that equality just isn't there.

Alasdair Thompson, of New Zealand's Employers and Manufacturers Association, said on a radio show that women should be payed less then men because they take sick leave once a month. You can imagine that women in New Zealand were less then impressed.  The guy got sacked and for good reason.

I often like to read comments on articles that I read,  and was flabbergasted by how most supported Thompson. Besides it's really bullshit. With the exception of one woman who worked for me, I've never heard of a woman where I've worked who's taken time off because it was her time of the month. While up to 50% experience painful cramps, only 10% are incapacitated by them, to the point they can't function. So for a 10% we're making a blanket statement about women in general?

Years ago I had a female employee [which is rare in my field] who suffered from endometriosis. There was two to three days a month where she could not get out of bed she was in so much pain. She proposed that she would work extra hours each week, so she could take those 2 or 3 days off when she was incapacitated. She was as productive as any male employee in my team and worked as many hours.  I'll give my boss credit, I explained the situation to him and he was fine with it. 

Something else he said is that women also take too much time off for children. Well maybe on the other side of the various ponds that's true, but from where I'm sitting, with a team of mostly men,  I have a different experience.  I currently have 5 male and 1 female employee who have children.  I don't see either gender not involved with their kids, including those with adult children. That's the way it should be.  Besides my one female employee with children will bring her sick kids to work with her instead of staying home with them, so she doesn't miss time for sick kids.

A lot of the guys I work with and/or who work for me are involved in their kids lives. They might be the one who drops off and picks up the kids at school or the daycare. They might also be the one who stay home with a sick child.

It also makes me wonder what people in other countries figure single women should do? Not work and be on welfare instead of working and supporting their children? I don't know too many men who would do that, and yes if you made a baby you're just as responsible as the woman who carried it.

It makes me wonder about the men in the U.K., in Australia and in New Zealand. I didn't think Canada was so far ahead of other nations for their gender equality but I suppose we are! Or maybe it's just because I work for a company that encourages men to participate in their children's life? Either way I tend to think it's normal. What's abnormal is expecting everyone but yourself to take care of your offspring, which some people seem to be champions.

I mean at that rate, what should you prevent all those with children from working since they are obviously unreliable, they get less sleep and they have more stresses in life and more responsibilities? No so this theory that women should make less money then men because they have children and are a weaker gender is for the birds.

Over the years I've met male employees who couldn't make it to work the day after payday because they partied so much they couldn't get out of bed. I wonder how much sick time they take for being too hungover or alternatively how unproductive they are when they come into work hungover? Maybe we should dock the pay of anyone who drinks too at that rate.