The issue has never been that pregnancy and motherhood are somehow crippling disabilities that prevent women from performing effective work. Rather, it's that they prevent women from being competitive with people who don't get pregnant - namely men.

In the pre-feminist days, women kept right on working because their jobs were "women's work" - and specifically geared to accomodate the demands of motherhood.

In the post-feminist days, this is not the case. And no matter how you spin the issue, if a womand and a man perform at an equal level the woman is still "worth" less to a potential employer due to the future risk of pregnancy and childrearing.

About the only way I can see getting around this would be to force both men and women to take mandatory leaves of absence. While it's likely the men would go flyfishing while their female counterparts are creating the next generation, it would enforce an equality that doesn't currently exist. Since both men and women would end up taking time off - whether or not a pregnancy occurred - there would be no difference in value.

I'm not sure whether or not you would seriously consider such a plan to "enforce equality" among men and women.

But since you didn't go through the trouble of pointing out what a terrible idea that would be, I'll pick up the slack:

That's a terrible idea! It would be ridiculous to try to acheive "equality" by actively preventing members one group from advancing in their careers / bettering themselves / contributing to society. It would be the same rationale as making everyone go around in wheelchairs just to level the playing field for paralyzed people.

"Equality" may be a noble goal, but let's make sure the cure isn't worse than the disease...

Being competitive for what reason?

What's the point for being so competitive in the first place? It's not going to make ones life worth living, its not going to bring joy or happiness....so what is all the fuss about joining the rat-race and being competitive in the first place?

Why would the men be fly fishing? Men should be entitled to the same paid maternity leave that women are. In California, PARENTS (regardless of gender) are entitled to 6 weeks paid family leave after the birth of a child. Men who take advantage of it are the REAL FATHERS. The ones fly fishing? They're losers.

I think you're both missing the point.

There are women who want to advance in competitive careers, and who also want to have children. They cannot effectively do so because this would require they compete with men who do not have the disadvantage of pregnancy.

the "disadvantage" of pregnancy is a CHOICE..if you don't like it, don't do it..no one is forcing you.