[Vicky.]

Originally Posted by Northern Monkey

Well if women are mainly spending less time in work due to maternity then they take a pay cut for part of that time plus miss opportunities for promotion etc due to less time in work plus in commission based jobs they're missing out on alot of money.According to the statistics of what age this pay gap begins it is generally when women become mothers so it's undoubtedly having an effect.Men are'nt taking that time off work.Motherhood seems to effect womens careers in high paid jobs.If men were taking that time off in equal numbers then this gap would close massively.
Also don't forget that many women choose to become stay at home mums for 10,15,16 years.That is a massive loss of earnings.There's nothing wrong with that btw but women or men can't have everything.It's impossible for either sex to be a stay at home parent and have a lifelong career.

Not sure on paternity pay these days.

Yeah, men aren't taking time off work for the kids, this much is obvious. Infact its a large (arguably the main) reason FOR the pay gap in the first place. And part of the reason I do not really feel the paygap is as big of a problem as its made out to be. Smaller reasons are at -play..it IS harder for a woman to rise to the top of her career...but I cannot see this affecting the pay gap as much as parenthood.

Also truth...you make out men are so hard done by on the subject of kids/divorces. Yet if we accept that men (typically) chose to keep working while the woman leaves work when they BOTH decide to have kids, does it not make sense for the main carer who gave up their own career (in most cases the mother) gets the house and such? When men are the stay at home parents, in the event of a divorce the man will get the house and maintenance too, its down to custody not sex...Also as far as I am aware, money paid is for the kids not the parent. In America I believe this is different, but not here.