[joglynne]

I think this just illustrates that statistics can be interpreted in many ways and that they have to be taken in context to give a valid picture.

The work base of this country is so different from the early Feminist days and the traditional, predominately male, working class advancement routes within the manufacturing industries have disappeared to a great extent along with the industries themselves. Lower skilled, lower paid jobs still exist but I suspect that, if figures were available, you would still find that those jobs were filled by women to a large extent not because women are more qualified to do them rather that the men aren't, because of tradition maybe, willing to take them.

The "working class man" of the 70s had a far different employment outlook than he has to-day not because of women in the workplace but because of the workplace itself and now men are facing competition from women who are in a position to compete for jobs on a qualifications level.

So yes the Feminists have improved the lot of women in the workplace and women's expectations to be able to be paid equal wages to their male counterparts. They have empowered women to gain qualifications so that they can aim for a better grade of employment, but you can not blame them for the changes in the type of employment, available.