Although overall the gender pay gap remains, with women earning 9.1 per cent less than men, in part-time work the trend is reversed.

Data from the Office for National Statistics show that since 1998, median hourly earnings excluding overtime pay have been higher for female employees.

So the part time pay gap is in favour of women.

Even in full-time work the gender pay gap is narrowing with women under 30 now earning more than young men for the first time, most likely as a result of their improved educational qualifications and the trend to delay motherhood until after building up a career.

And so is the youth pay gap in favour of women. A large part of the gap that still remains is due to the fact that we very definitely did have discrimination against women 30 and 40 years ago and some of those discriminated against are still there in the jobs market.

The rest of it is down to men and women making different choices about careers and childcare. And to be honest, in a mammalian species, there’s unlikely to ever be perfect gender equity in that.

Thing is, now that this problem has been solved, what are people going to find to whine about?

Image :Mae Zelinsky, left, and Betty O’Beda test ammunition on a .30 caliber rifle at a Remington Arms plant on April 30, 1943. Many women took over jobs that were left vacant when men went overseas to fight in World War II. (AP Photo)