To misquote Mark Twain :
"If work was so good the women would have hogged it all by now"

Peter Bolt, Redditch, UK

The question was what do you WANT... not what do you HAVE! I would guess than most men, woman in lower paid jobs, etc would come up with a similar list on what they want.

A few people are lucky/have worked hard to get to a position to have this - amazing how much bitterness in these comments

Sam, London,

OK, now ask 4 women, who have young children, in the sort of jobs that most of us do. Shop assistants, clerical workers, teachers, nurses. Ask them what they really,really want.

andrew, swindon,

So now we know.........unproductive but "fun and exciting" - how did you find these people?

Doug Bates, St. Albans,

Are these people for real? Yuppie jobs for over expectant spoiled 'adventurers' who seek to fulfill their lives through external input - look within ladies, that's where truth lies...

Winston Smith, Edinburgh, UK

I find myself temporarily out of work, and now on the school run. I have been amazed at the number of people waddling home to watch Jeremy Kyle.

I am disgusted at the attitude of people with nothing better to do when the school is crying out for volunteers to help with reading and the PTA

Paul, Herts, UK

Wouldn't most men rather do these things as well? If women want the promotions, we should be prepared do work the same hours as male colleagues. It's called EQUALITY.

Gemma, Edinburgh,

Taking the examples above, it seems that these women's idea of work is what I would consider to be a holiday. Work - by definition - is to go against what is easy and natural.

Graeme , London ,

I am a female Engineer working in oil and gas. As most of my work is team based, I cannot work from home, nor can work flexible hrs as I have to accomodate clients, peers, team members etc. I am currently on maternity leave. I do nat have the luxery of being a stay at home mum. Mortgages etc

Meg, Hampshire, UK

The problem with most of the 'solutions' advocated by the interviewees quoted in the article is that these are all extremely well-qualified women who have great careers. It would be a far more representative study if those interviewed included women with no qualifications who work for minimum wage.

Alex, Durham, UK

The problem is that many women want all of the flexibility and none of the responsibility. They want everyone else to work overtime, to take second choice at holiday dates, to cover for their absence at short notice, but they want the same wages and promotion prospects. Get real, ladies.

Sally Marshall, Bristol,

The answer to the question "what do girls really want", is simple... the last word!

brian keating, agde, france

I read with some amusement the above article. I'm not surprised the number of women working is falling.

If I had the choice of managing my own agenda during the day and not having to worry about the bills, I'm pretty confident that I would find an alternative to a 7.30am to 6.00pm working day!

Grant, Sydney, Australia

Why were no female scientists or engineers interviewed?

Paul, Coventry,

I think Abraham Lincoln was much more astute than the people profiled in this article. He claimed his father taught him to work hard, but forgot to teach him how to enjoy it. Work is not self discovery; it's not meant to be fun.

Peter Adam, Chevy Chase MD, USA

Why, I wonder, didn't they bother to ask real women. The ones who have things even worse than women used to. Declining wages, barely able to keep a roof over their heads. These frivolous types are the sort that have contributed to making things worse.

Jenny, Grand Rapids, MI US

Actually the world of work loves career women for each woman with a good job creates jobs for 4 other women. The cook, the maid, the nanny, and The Mistress. " Raised by the Maid" is one of the most popular tattoos in Beverly Hills right now. Have kids? Raise them yourselves. It's your Duty.

victor compton, Cherbourg, France

All of these opinions equally apply to men - how nice it is for women to have a choice.

We'd all love to split time with r&r, hobbies, children, etc; but historically society has placed males as the workhorses, females as the carers; until both these roles are more balanced, equality is a joke.

Howard, Manchester,