是时候给女性她们想要的了

在职场，男女的工资差距到底有多大？你是否能够意识到性别的平等？改变职场中的“男女大不同”的确是一件艰难的事情，但是有很多想法值得去尝试。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

parenthood亲子关系；父母身份['peər(ə)nthʊd]

of late最近；近来

normalise（使）正常化；（使）恢复友好状态['nɔːməlaɪz]

hefty重的；肌肉发达的['heftɪ]

exchequer财源；国库；财政部[ɪks'tʃekə; eks-]

narrative叙述；故事['nærətɪv]

miscarriage流产；失败[mɪs'kærɪdʒ; 'mɪskærɪdʒ]

rummage检查；搜出['rʌmɪdʒ]

metaphorical比喻性的，隐喻性的[,metə'fɒrɪkl]

discrimination视；区别，辨别[dɪ,skrɪmɪ'neɪʃ(ə)n]

It is time to give women what they want — possibly even a raise（624words）

By Justine Roberts

The impact of parenthood on women’s careers has become a hot topic of late,with initiatives aimed at normalising flexible working patterns,parliamentary investigations into women at work and maternity discrimination,and a hefty report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies exploring the gender wage gap.

I am not complaining. Mumsnet users have been fired up about this for some time,which is why we have a jobs site that showcases family friendly work opportunities and also why we run an annual event to help mothers attain the careers they want. As with childcare — a related area of concern and another that has slowly come into political focus over the past few years — it is heartening to see this topic creeping up the agenda. British businesses（as well as the Exchequer) cannot afford to see generations of experienced,hard-working women leave the workforce against their wishes,or fail to reach their potential.

At the same time,there is an energetic media narrative questioning whether female politicians have to choose between having children and making it to the top.

There is also now a prominent cadre of women in British politics who do not have children: Nicola Sturgeon,Theresa May,Kezia Dugdale,Ruth Davidson. From the point of view of the media,this is a tempting feature story. But as we have seen from the painful personal disclosures wrung from Sturgeon（who recently spoke about experiencing a miscarriage) and May（who has talked about her sense of loss at not having children),it can be both misleading and cruel to personalise this issue. It is never a good idea to force someone to tell you why they do not have children,or to make your own assumptions; there are echoes here of William Hague responding to speculation about his marriage and sexuality by revealing that his wife had suffered several miscarriages.

Rummaging through the metaphorical bathroom bins of female politicians is no substitute for addressing structural unfairness. The IFS report revealed,among other things,that the gender pay gap widens consistently for 12 years after a first child is born,by which point women’s hourly wages are a third below men’s. When we surveyed Mumsnet users in 2015,65 per cent felt that having children had had a negative effect on their careers. If we want a society that is fairer for mothers and for all women,we need to plough on with the difficult work of finding solutions and encouraging behavioural change.

A good starting point would be to tackle the discrimination women face in the workplace — a recent Mumsnet survey found that a third of women had been asked in an interview whether they have children and that a third of employers have heard someone responsible for recruitment expressing the view that employing women is an extra hassle.

Companies can make simple changes such as being forthcoming about policies that they have already introduced: emailing staff to remind them of maternity,return to work and flexible working policies and stating in job ads that they are open to job flexibility. After all,employers who reach the end of the interview process having found their ideal candidate are pretty much always going to grant some flexibility when asked for it. If working from home on a Wednesday or finishing at 4 on a Friday is a deal clincher,you will probably agree to it without a moment’s thought. So why cut out all those likely applicants before you have even begun the process by insisting on a rigid pattern of full-time office work?

Changing the working culture for women is a big task,but there are many ideas worth trying. We could even try giving women a pay rise when they ask for one.

1.Who does Mumsnet help for to attain the careers they want?

A. female politicians

B. children

C. mothers

D. fathers

答案(1)

2.What the similarity between Theresa May and Kezia Dugdale?

A. without children

B. without husband

C. stay-at-home mom

D. miscarriage experience

答案(2)

3.How many years does the gender pay gap widen consistently after the first child?

A. 5

B. 6

C. 12

D. 13

答案(3)

4.Which one is not mentioned as the simple changes to tackle the discrimination against women in the workplace?

A. emailing staff to remind them of maternity

B. changing the working culture for women

C. more flexible working policies

D. giving women a pay rise when they ask for one

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.mothers

解释：越来越多人关注职场女性的议题，Mumsnet因此设置求职网站和年度活动来帮助妈妈们在获得更多的职业机会。

(2) 答案：A.without children

解释：这些女政客都没有孩子。

(3) 答案：C.12

解释：根据IFS的调查，这种性别工资差距的拉大会持续12年。

(4) 答案：B.changing the working culture for women

解释：改变工作中的女性文化是一件大而艰巨的任务，我们可以先从其他小的改变开始。