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The home secretary has told one of her own party's backbenchers that referring to feminists as "obnoxious bigots is not the way forward".
Dominic Raab (Con, Esher and Walton) hit the headlines earlier this week with an article in which he claimed men face "a raw deal" due to equality legislation.
In the Commons he asked Theresa May, who is also minister for women and equality, if she agreed that making maternity leave transferable "will help to eliminate anti-male discrimination in the workplace and will give couples greater choice".
May replied that flexible parental leave will give families choice and in future both men and woman job applicants could be judged equally likely to take time off to look after a baby.
"We should try to get away from gender warfare and the politics of difference, but I suggest to him that labelling feminists as 'obnoxious bigots' is not the way forward," she said.
Shadow minister for women Yvette Cooper told the House that while she welcomes new measures on flexible working, the business department is removing protection from unfair dismissal from employees who have been in their post less than two years.
She said women are more likely than men to be in a job for less than two years and will be harder hit by the changes.
May said BIS is consulting on the future of employment tribunals.
"It is important that we take action on employment tribunals, because I have discovered from my discussions with businesses that they are often wary of issues such as flexible working and the extension of flexible working, precisely because of the tribunal costs that they could incur, were those regulations to be put in place," she said.
Bob Blackman (Con, Harrow East) asked for an assurance that religious groups will not be compelled to host civil partnerships if the law is changed.
May said that a "significant part" of the debate generated when Lord Alli introduced an amendment to the Equality Bill in the last parliament that was "permissive" and the government intend to work on that basis.
"We have no intention of introducing any element of compulsion. It will be for religious groups and faith groups to decide whether they wish to take up this opportunity."
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