Gee. So many things to respond to.

>>>I certainly agree with you about how women have been, and still are, always gypped vis-a-vis men by society,

Women are not always cheated by men (to be really PC, for gypped has its origin in Gypsy). There are inequalities and imbalances in all societies and men are not treated equally either. Women don't get executed for murder, don't get drafted, and can get out of the military by getting pregnant. Boys are put on ritalin at much higher rates and score lower on standardised tests, and have higher drop-out rates with nary a male-oriented program to help them. The Canadian government has a hiring policy to encourage women in non-traditional jobs like engineering and computer science and yet there are no programs to encourage men to become clerks, nurses, or teachers - professions that are heavily female.

In some cases language can have an effect and shape people's judgement but there are limits as to how far this argument can be extended. I have my doubts about actresses getting paid less just because they are called actresses. More likely it has to do with the fact that <most> men will only go to see a "chick" flick when they have to (i.e. when dating or an anniversary), otherwise its explosions and car chases that rule the day. How did, for example, Terminator 2 do against Thelma and Louise?

Not every gender difference has to do with discrimination some are based on real, quantifiable differences. I don't think that it is coincidence that feminine products and laundry soap are advertised during soap operas and beer and pickup trucks are advertised during football.

To finish this rant, an snippet from the Book of Heroic Failures by Stephen Pile. Under the heading of "The Least Successful Equal Pay Advertisement" was the story of how, several decades ago, when Ireland was joining the EU they were told that no longer could they pay men and women different amounts for the same job. The Irish government put out an advertisement for the position of Equal Pay Commissioner with, you guessed it, two different pay scales, one for men and one for women.

End of counter-rant.

Rouspeteur (not to be confused with mon épouse, la Rouspeteuse)