On air 1100GMT: Does menstruation affect how women work?
| 08:29 UK time, Thursday, 7 July 2011
This topic was discussed on World Have Your Say on 7 July, 2011. Listen to the programme.
The head of a major New Zealand employers' group has been fired after implying that women were paid less than men because they took more sick leave due to menstruation.
In a , Alasdair Thompson of the Employers and Manufacturers' Association said:
"Who takes the most sick leave? Women do, in general...why? Because once a month they have sick problems. I don't like saying these things because it sounds like I'm sexist, but it's the facts of life."
Should he have lost his job?
In a , 54 per cent of viewers said it was right he was sacked, while 47 per cent said it was an overreaction.
We posted that question on our yesterday and got a mixed bag of responses.
Carlos wrote, "Not at all. Is it politically correct? Of course not. But it is true without a doubt."
Cornel asks why "people can't say jack about women anymore?".
But Samuel from New Zealand says: "It's not true that a woman who die exactly the same job as a man should get paid less because she has 'women's problems' once a month. That's complete rubbish."
The story is mostly being tweeted in New Zealand, but has been picked up the , The and the .
What do you think? Should he have been sacked or were his comments just plain wrong, period?
