"Now, where were we? Oh yes, "guts". You see, "Johnny" (can I call you Johnny, old girl, or do you prefer "Dimwit"?), there's something deeply amusing about someone pretending to be a tough guy on an internet forum."
Yes there is, isn't there.
The question is about discrimination, about people get differing amounts of money for doing the SAME job, on some general basis; or that some people have better access to higher paying jobs on some general basis.
Benk I think first introduced the thorny question of how do we decide which job should pay more; I suggested it could start at least on the level of 'sacrifice'; apprentices have lousy pay for three or four years in the hope of better pay at the end; surgeons spend longer at school than teachers, etc.
Truckies can get a license inside 1 week, and often make more money than tradies.
Antiseptic has made the claim that university access is being deliberately made easier for females. If this is true, then it is a clear case of discrimination -but we need to see the evidence.
That fact that more women are currently going to Uni is not in itself evidence of discrimination.
Many of our best and brightest are currently going into 'Business Studies' instead of the sciences, simply because that's where the money is.
A skilled labour shortage should -through market forces- push up the wage levels of tradies. Instead, we just import more from overseas, the wages remain low, and no one wants to do an apprenticeship which won't make them any more money.

Johnny30

All that us blokes have ever said is that the pay gap issue is more complex than some people will often acknowledge. OLO is a forum where issues are examined in all of their complexity. If you want to think what most men think, I suggest that you spend you time watching ACA and Today Tonight instead.

Grim

Thank-you for keeping it productive.

I don't believe that, in general, the trades are under-paid, relative to professions. However, a few other blue collar occupations are under-paid.

Regarding university, there is social pressure on boys to do blue collar jobs, because they are seen as tough. This pressure comes from both genders and boys need to know that conforming to it will (and should) come at a financial price.
Secondly, education providers at all levels are making more use of types of assessment that suit girls. This hasn't been a deliberate effort to help them and isn't any less fair than using assessment that suits boys, but it has happened. Boys like short answer questions and multiple choice questions (in general). Girls like assignments, because they can collaborate more with friends (in general).

Cornflower you have expressed exactly my thoughts and the characteristics of workforce participation are not static.

The generalisations about loyalty are not based on facts. It is too easy for gender discussions to degenerate into huge sweeping statements about work behaviours. Women may not appear loyal when the leave work to raise a family but I hardly think that is a bad thing.