The concept that men and women are somehow fundamentally different is, to me, not so clear cut. I would suggest that most of the differences we observe are a result of the society we are raised in. This is evidenced by the fact that what we expect from men and women - how we expect them to behave - has changed as society has changed. The differences appear to be getting smaller and smaller as time goes on.
The argument about businesses paying for women to have children is - in the UK at least - a red herring. It is the government that pays maternity leave. The only "extra" cost to the business is that of finding a temporary replacement. It is wider society that pays.
I'm all for personal responsibility, so I tend to lean towards not supporting maternity leave. However, there is definitely a balance to strike between the well-being of the individual and the well-being of society as a whole. There's certainly an argument to be made for supporting parents and enabling them to spend time with their children. As such, my long term aim would be to create a society where all citizens were responsible for their own actions and also in a position to fully take on that responsiblity. As it stands, the financial burden of our current societal system doesn't always allow this.
On the employment issue, there's no sound reason at all to discriminate. Taking "night club security" as an example, one might think it prudent to rule out women because, "clearly, they won't be strong enough". However, all you've done is limit your range of candidates. You've potentially lost a woman who could have been a great employee. Not only could she have been a 6ft, 90kg, kickboxer, physically superior to most of the male candidates, but she could also have been great at conflict resolution and have other characteristics well suited to the task at hand. You lose nothing by starting with the assumption that all candidates are equal and working from there.
Of course, we all have built-in prejudices, despite the fact that many would try to deny it. What an intelligent person does is try to recognise when these prejudices may be affecting their judgement and deal with it. For instance, it can be difficult for women to have the same trust in a male primary school teacher as they do in a female one, just as it can be difficult for a male company director to accept that a male secretary may be as good as a female one, or a female manager as good as a male one. As a good employer you can only try to overcome those prejudices.
The argument about businesses paying for women to have children is - in the UK at least - a red herring. It is the government that pays maternity leave. The only "extra" cost to the business is that of finding a temporary replacement. It is wider society that pays.
I'm all for personal responsibility, so I tend to lean towards not supporting maternity leave. However, there is definitely a balance to strike between the well-being of the individual and the well-being of society as a whole. There's certainly an argument to be made for supporting parents and enabling them to spend time with their children. As such, my long term aim would be to create a society where all citizens were responsible for their own actions and also in a position to fully take on that responsiblity. As it stands, the financial burden of our current societal system doesn't always allow this.
On the employment issue, there's no sound reason at all to discriminate. Taking "night club security" as an example, one might think it prudent to rule out women because, "clearly, they won't be strong enough". However, all you've done is limit your range of candidates. You've potentially lost a woman who could have been a great employee. Not only could she have been a 6ft, 90kg, kickboxer, physically superior to most of the male candidates, but she could also have been great at conflict resolution and have other characteristics well suited to the task at hand. You lose nothing by starting with the assumption that all candidates are equal and working from there.
Of course, we all have built-in prejudices, despite the fact that many would try to deny it. What an intelligent person does is try to recognise when these prejudices may be affecting their judgement and deal with it. For instance, it can be difficult for women to have the same trust in a male primary school teacher as they do in a female one, just as it can be difficult for a male company director to accept that a male secretary may be as good as a female one, or a female manager as good as a male one. As a good employer you can only try to overcome those prejudices.
