I want to fall in love. I want to meet someone to share my life with. I want to care. For me, and I know it might sound silly, that’s what life is about. It’s not so much about earning loads of money, being successful or wearing the right clothes. For what does it all mean when you have no one special to share it with? Tonight I shall eat my lovely Valentine’s meal for one and perhaps have a glass of champagne. I will send a thought to all you happy couples out there and give a toast to true love. Natasja Schive, London
I read the article on do-it-all women and as a former working mother, I sympathised with most of their problems - except one. I utterly disapprove of taking children of any age out of school during term time and do not consider “but that’s when holidays are cheaper” is any excuse. Head teachers should be able to refuse permission for absences in term time - and parents who flout the rules should be fined. Otherwise we are giving children the wrong message for later in life when they start work. Jenny Lane, Corsham
This women’s section may as well be called “Intellect lite”. Naming it Women is outrageously patronising and outdated. I expect this from reactionary sexist garbage like the Daily Mail (and avoid it as a result) not from The Times. It’s 2005 - get a grip! Kate Burgess, London
I can understand and accept Sue Elliot writing a book from her rather narrow point of view, but what on earth was Catherine O’Brien doing rehashing the old “woman good, man bad” cant? For O’Brien to accept unchallenged and with no sense of proportion Sue’s opinion of her father and the other fathers is either very shoddy or displays a quite typical anti-male bias. Either way, from my point of view it completely invalidates the piece. But then what does that matter, I’m only a middle-aged male. Christopher Budd, Chandlers Ford
I have no time for Sue Elliot and her story about “discovering” who she is. It reinforces the prejudices that so many people have, that adopted children cannot be whole until they “discover” their “real” parents. As far as I am concerned, the people who bring a child up are the real parents. My twin brother and I were adopted when we were a few weeks old. We know that the “birth parents” had a child before they had us. We know that the birth father had other chiildren. Even if we met these people we could not regard them as siblings, because they have not shared in the experiences of our lives, nor we theirs. To pretend otherwise would be to create something appallingly superficial. Craig Gerrard, Liverpool
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It is disappointing to hear that the EU Commission has ruled for the protection of lower insurance premiums for women. It sounds to me that women get it both ways: equality when it suits, and discrimination when it does not. It really makes a farce out of any attempts to create true sexual equality and to abolish sexual discrimination for good. Jurgen Schulze, Miami, Florida
French women adore food; however, they appear never to eat between meals, but to enjoy the meal when it arrives. They take plenty of time over lunch and dinner and savour each course. They seem to hate fast food, and never eat in the street, while driving their car, etc. Much to my joy as a mother of four children, there is a huge lack of fast food outlets, corner shops selling fizzy drinks, sweets and junk food; even the supermarkets have very small frozen food and ready meal sections compared with the UK. Food here is to be enjoyed and taken time over - the answer to why so many French women (and men) are slim and trim. It’s just a shame about the fags they smoke in abundance - perhaps no one has told them about that one. Name and address withheld
Considering there is so much in the media promoting women’s issues, couldn’t papers have a little more balance by having a men’s section? I have always been a supporter of equal rights, but I believe that the pendulum has swung too far. Instead of condemning us guys to the role of being little more than walking sperm banks, how about including us in family life and life issues and appreciating that we are human beings too? James Williams, Portsmouth
I find this article on “seductressing” rather interesting and scarily spot on, at least in regards to looks not being everything. Take Wallis Simpson for instance, who could scare a hungry dog off a meatwagon, yet she dethroned a king. Monica Lewinsky almost dethroned a president, and she ended up a spokeswoman for Weight-Watchers, not to mention “Fergie” who married a prince yet had her toes licked by a billionaire. Oh, why was I born good looking? If only I had a few extra pounds to shed or a less pretty face, I could have had the world at my feet(toes). Just goes to show it really is all in the guy’s pants, not his brains. Jillian Cunningham, Boston, Mass
It seems to me that women in general, especially women who consider themselves feminists, should think again about motherhood. If it is really true that mothers of two are so exhausted that they cannot function properly, let alone lead a normal professional life, then something is going wrong. Mothers have to value motherhood, and learn to take care of themselves, as well as their children and their job. Women should be making full use of the rights that previous generations of women have won for them - and consolidating them wherever necessary. In this sense, Ruth Kelly - and indirectly, her Labour front-bench colleagues - are an example to everyone. We will know that Britain has improved on women’s issues when more women are given promotion after taking maternity leave. Ruth Breeze, Pamplona, Spain
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