Playing China's gender game 2

Problems at Work

 

"University exams tend to be based on memory, and this favors girls. Most girls work hard listening in classes and take notes, but things like sport distract boys - they do not focus on their studies," says Chen Zengtang, a psychology professor at Shanghai's Tongji University.

 

But success on paper does not necessarily translate into a successful career. At the last census in 2000, Chinese women comprised 45 percent of the workforce and earned 80 percent of the income of men.

 

The white paper, "Gender Diversity and Women's Development in China", also notes that women owners of SMEs account for only about 20 percent of China's entrepreneurs.

 

So Why dose this disparity exist?

 

Professor Chen suggests it is because women lack a well-rounded set of skills. He also notes that men mature later than women, so they become ambitious around age 26 or 27, exactly the time women turn their attention to starting a family.

 

But a recent report based on interviews with business-women by professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) suggests that the main thing women need to succeed is a bit more self-belief.

 

It says:"The message from the interviewees was that women need to be more confident. They said strength of mind is the most important factor in a woman's ability to succeed in the workforce."

 

The report also claims China's one-child policy enables women to have a "mannageable home life while still being able to advance their careers".

 

But it is simply too easy to say discrimination does not exist and it is women's lack of ambition that holds them back. The PWC report only interviewed successful women who work for large companies and their views are not necessarily reflective of China as a whole.

 

 

短语学习：

 

tend to  倾向于

 

take notes 记笔记

 

distract boys 使男孩分心

 

focus on studies 专注于学习

 

psychology professor 心理学教授

 

success on pa paper 考试上的成功

 

not necessarily 并不必然地

 

translate into 转变成

 

paper skills 书本上技能

 

national population census 全国人口普查

 

earn an income 赚取收入

 

income disparity 收入不平衡

 

small-and-medium-sized enterprises 中小企业

 

well-rounded 全面发展的

 

a set of skills 一套技能

 

become ambitious 变得有进取心的

 

around age 26 or 27 在26、27岁左右

 

turn one's attention to 把注意力转向……

 

career woman 职业女性

 

professional service company 专业服务公司

 

self-belief 自己的信念

 

strength of mind 头脑的力量

 

the most important factor 最重要的因素

 

the only child 独生子女

 

one-child policy  独生子女政策

 

family / home life 家庭生活

 

develop / advance one's career 发展事业

 

lack ambition 缺乏雄心壮志

 

hold sb. back 拖某人后腿

 

be reflective of ... 反映

 

as a whole 作为一个整体

 

 

单词学习

 

advance v. 进步；提高

 

comprise v. 包含，包括，构成

 

development n. 发展

 

factor n. 因素

 

mature v. 是成熟

 

gender n. 性别

 

discrimination n. 歧视

 

favor v. 有利于

 

psychology n. 心理，心理学

 

workforce n. 劳动力

 

reflective adj 反映的[~ of ]

 

ambitious adj. 有抱负的，雄心勃勃的

 

enable v. 是能够

 

attention n. 注意力

 

exist v. 存在

 

memory n. 记忆

 

translate v. 转化，转变

 

proffessional adj. 职业的，专业的

 

confident adj. 自信的

 

interview n. (记者的） 采访，访谈；面试

 

interviewee n. 被采访者；被接见者

 

census n. 人口普查

 

distract v. 使分心

 

entrepreneur n. 企业家

 

career n. 职业生涯

 

success n. 成功

 

successful adj. 成功的

 

professor n. 教授

 

necessarily adv. 必定； 必然地

 

diversity n. 多样性

 

note n. 笔记

 

note v. 提到；指明