Mary Kenny: Kudos to female firefighters, but it's often in the public interest to discriminate based on age and physical ability

"It's good to see women excelling in different fields, yet as we strive for equality, we should also be aware that males and females are different There have always been two strands of feminist thinking on the subject of equality. One is that men and women, being equal, must at all times be treated equally. The other is that women and men are of equal value, but are different."

"There's a third notion that could be added, conjured up by lofty Victorians, that women are morally better than men. This produced the axiom: "As soon as a woman becomes the equal of a man, she immediately becomes his superior.""

Women are excelling across fields while equality efforts continue, and males and females exhibit differences. Two distinct feminist positions on equality exist: one demands identical treatment at all times because men and women are equal; the other asserts equal value alongside difference. A third, older notion proclaims female moral superiority, rooted in Victorian thinking. That notion led to the axiom: "As soon as a woman becomes the equal of a man, she immediately becomes his superior." The perspectives emphasize both the pursuit of equal standing and recognition of sex-based differences, with varying emphasis on sameness, difference, and moral ranking.

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