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The issue is not equal pay to women and men - the issue is equal pay for equal work, regardless of who does it (this happens to include different genders, different nationalities, different physical capabilities). If you take time off from work, whatever the reason, you get paid less. If you deliver more than the required minimum of quality and quantity work, you get paid more (or you get promotion, which means you get paid more).

What does a company want - to get the job done, or to get involved in philosophy? If a woman takes a job that she is unable to do, the company in my view is entitled to either pay her less or strongly suggest something more suitable. If a man takes a job that he is unable to do (and here we have a problem because all men think they can do anything but usually the boss will face up to the truth at some stage) the same applies!

Yes there are laws that favour women - they are allowed paid maternity leave - but if that is a problem companies can always allow men more sick leave or whatever to even the score. The unhappiness comes when men and women carry the same company designation, deliver the same amount and quality of work, and yet the woman gets paid less - how is that justified? Again the same applies to other forms of discrimination. It is as wrong in my view to favour men over women as it is to favour black over white, "disadvantaged" over "advantaged" and young over old. What on earth happened to good old Merit?

And finally, why the specification "US companies?" There are as many companies in the rest of the world that discriminate in the pay that women get. Are they exempt?

Learn more about this author, Santi Meintjes.
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