Remember that old cigarette ad that proclaimed: “You’ve come a long way, baby?” It was introduced in 1968 by Virginia Slims, which linked smoking with female empowerment and equality. When we look closely at women in the business world, however, we may not have come as far as we think. Sure, women have made great strides in the corporate1 climate, but it appears we still do have a long way to go.
仍记得那个经典的香烟广告:“真是难熬的一天不是吗,宝贝?”这是在1968年,将女权和平等与吸烟相联系的弗吉尼娅·斯林姆斯首先提出的。然而放眼当今职场,在女性权益方面,我们做到的可能不及说的好听。是啊,职场女性为公司的发展做了极大的贡献,然而在完善保护女权方面,我们还有很长的路要走。
Here are ten things that have not changed all that much for working women.
对于职场女性,多年来这十件事没怎么改变。
1.The Wage Gap
1.工资的差异
Here’s the biggest and by far the worst thing that hasn’t changed. It’s even more shocking considering President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act more than 50 years ago and President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay act in 2009. Although these pieces of legislation were intended to level the paying field for men and women, in 2014, women still only earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by male coworkers.
一直以来对职场女性的影响最大,也是最坏的,就是不变的男女工资差异。神奇的是,早在五十多年前肯尼迪总统就签署了《同酬法》,09年时奥巴马也签订了《莱德贝特公平报酬法》。尽管这些法案的意图都在于使男女薪金平等化,但直到2014年,职场女性的薪酬还只是男性同事薪酬的77%。
2.Working 9 To 5, And At Home
2.朝九晚五,到家还不能休息放松
It’s exhausting to put in a full day in the office, and then come home only to face mountains of household chores and responsibilities, not the least of which is cooking dinner and running errands. Unfortunately, these duties still traditionally fall to women, although more men are increasingly volunteering to pitch in. That’s great, but women are still expected to be in charge and delegate household responsibilities. This so-called second shift can be draining.
一天工作结束,回到家还要面对成山的家务以及家庭责任担当,至少也得煮个饭,俨然成了家中的杂役。更惨的是,尽管越来越多的老公们有了帮老婆做家务的良知,家务活往往还是得女人来做。这种所谓的改变是挺好的,但其实潜意识里家务还是女人的事,女人的家庭责任,所以这种改变几乎不称其为改变。
3.Poor Maternity-Leave Policies
3.薄弱的产假政策
Having a baby may be one of the most momentous2 events in your life, but too many American companies treat motherhood like a inconvenience. Compare that to Sweden, which offers 60 weeks off at 80% salary. Come on, we can do better!
小宝宝的降生对各位妈妈来说都是一生中最激动人心的时刻,然而太多的美国公司却不这么看,他们认为职员的怀孕带来的只有不便。在瑞典,妈妈们拥有长达十五周的带薪产假(薪水是原来的80%)。艾玛,我们完全可以做得更好!
4.A Lack Of Female CEOs
4.女性CEO是稀有物种
Girls today are raised to believe they can be and do anything in life, but only a paltry3 number end up becoming CEOs of major corporations. In fact, only 4% of Fortune 500 company CEOs are women.
当代的女性都有信心做好工作生活中的每件事,但能在大公司担任CEO的女性却少之又少。事实上,在世界五百强企业中,只有4%的CEO是女性。
5.Men Still Dominate Professional Fields
5.男性依旧统治着职场
It’s not just Fortune 500 companies that lack female leadership. Many professional fields, such as medicine, law and finance, are still primarily dominated by men. Women remain severely4 underrepresented in many areas. One recent study shows that only 15% of equity5 partners in U.S law firms are women. This needs to change!
缺少女性领导人的不仅仅是五百强企业,医药,法律和金融等许多专业领域也仍由男性主导。在很多方面,女性领导人的出镜率不高。一项近期调查表明,美国法律公司只有15%的股权伙伴是女性。这需要改变!
6.Disproportionate Stress Levels
6.不相称的压力等级
Work can be quite stressful at times, and it’s women who bear the brunt of work-related stress. More women than men report feeling stressed at work, which affects health and emotional well-being6, according to an American Psychological Association survey. Thankfully, women are also becoming more empowered when it comes to calling for flexibility8 and ways to tame the stress.
工作压力有时会丧病地找上门来,首当其冲受到蹂躏的就是女性。美国心理学会一项调查称,更多的女性认为自己在工作中压力大,而且这影响到她们的身心健康。因祸得福的是,女性也变得越来越有能力灵活应对,学会如何制服压力。
7.Discrimination Still Exists
7.歧视依旧在
Although we wish gender9 discrimination is a thing of the past, unfortunately, this isn’t the case. Discrimination still affects women in the work world, in many subtle ways. Attitudes of male coworkers towards their female peers, treatment of female compared to male subordinates by male managers, and the stigma10 that accompanies a working Mom. These things can make the workplace a frustrating11 rather than a liberating12 place.
尽管我们希望性别歧视已经是过去式,但很不幸的是它现在还存在于职场。歧视以一种微妙的姿态影响着职业女性。男同事对女同事的态度,男经理对男女下属的区别对待,职业妈妈的心理负担......这些事情都让职场变得不再自由,反到令人沮丧。
8.Concrete Ceiling
8.在“男人行当”难以突破自我
We’ve all heard of that glass ceiling, but there is another one that has also been tough to crack. Women are still having trouble breaking into traditionally male-dominated fields such as construction or plumbing13. Perhaps if we familiarize ourselves with technology or other methods of getting to know these industries, more women will get involved in these professions.
我们都听说过打破职场玻璃顶的事情,然而还有一道界限仍是难以攻破的。女性无法像传统的“男人行当”发展,例如建筑和管道工程。可能只有当我们能够用技术和科学武装自己融入这一领域时,更多的女性才能从事这类职业。
照顾娃的烦恼
Although many women choose to become mothers and continue to work, most companies do not provide day care services or even offer reimbursement15 for the cost. As a result, families are forced to spend a good part of their paychecks on child care, which can make working feel pointless. In addition, it’s often the mother who chooses to stay home in these situations.
虽然很多妈妈决定做回职场女性,大多数的公司还是没有提供日护服务或是其报销业务。这就导致家庭为孩子开销太大,让妈妈们情何以堪。而且,一般都是妈妈选择辞职在家照顾宝宝。
弹性时间没有弹性
In 1980, the movie “9 to 5” introduced us to the concept of flex time, but it has not taken off as a trend. Only about half of U.S. companies offer some sort of flexible arrangement. In addition, a recent study has found that most companies grant flex time to senior-level men rather than women, which is surprising given the fact that it’s women who need more flexibility in order to care for children.
在1980年,电影“朝九晚五”给我们描绘了所谓弹性时间的画面,但这个到现在也没有真正成为主流。仅有大约一半的美国公司为员工提供这样的弹性时间安排。另外,一项最近的研究发现,大部分的公司为高级雇员提供的弹性时间里,男性雇员的时长大于女性,但事实上,女性才是更加需要这样的弹性时间去照顾自己孩子的。
As you can see, working women may not have come as far as we thought. This means we need to keep pushing politicians and business leaders for change and continue to keep these workplace discrepancies17 in the spotlight18.
如你所见,职场女性这么多年来也没见得过了多少好日子。这就意味着政客与商业领导人们应一直重视,并改变这样的职场歧视。
1 corporate [ˈkɔ:pərət] 第7级 | |
adj.共同的,全体的;公司的,企业的 | |
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2 momentous [məˈmentəs] 第8级 | |
adj.重要的,重大的 | |
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3 paltry [ˈpɔ:ltri] 第11级 | |
adj.无价值的,微不足道的 | |
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4 severely [sə'vɪrlɪ] 第7级 | |
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地 | |
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5 equity [ˈekwəti] 第8级 | |
n.公正,公平,(无固定利息的)股票 | |
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6 well-being [wel 'bi:ɪŋ] 第8级 | |
n.安康,安乐,幸福 | |
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7 flex [fleks] 第10级 | |
n.皮线,花线;vt.弯曲或伸展 | |
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8 flexibility [ˌfleksə'bɪlətɪ] 第8级 | |
n.柔韧性,弹性,(光的)折射性,灵活性 | |
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9 gender [ˈdʒendə(r)] 第8级 | |
n.(生理上的)性,(名词、代词等的)性 | |
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10 stigma [ˈstɪgmə] 第9级 | |
n.耻辱,污名;(花的)柱头 | |
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11 frustrating [frʌˈstreɪtɪŋ] 第7级 | |
adj.产生挫折的,使人沮丧的,令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 );挫败;使受挫折;令人沮丧 | |
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12 liberating [ˈlibəreitɪŋ] 第7级 | |
解放,释放( liberate的现在分词 ) | |
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13 plumbing [ˈplʌmɪŋ] 第9级 | |
n.水管装置;水暖工的工作;管道工程v.用铅锤测量(plumb的现在分词);探究 | |
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14 dilemma [dɪˈlemə] 第7级 | |
n.困境,进退两难的局面 | |
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15 reimbursement [ˌri:ɪm'bɜ:smənt] 第11级 | |
n.偿还,退还 | |
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16 rigid [ˈrɪdʒɪd] 第7级 | |
adj.严格的,死板的;刚硬的,僵硬的 | |
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17 discrepancies [disˈkrepənsiz] 第7级 | |
n.差异,不符合(之处),不一致(之处)( discrepancy的名词复数 ) | |
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