向前一步:第8期 导言 内心的革命(8)

 We internalize the negative messages we get throughout our lives—the messages that say it's wrong to be outspoken¹, aggressive, more powerful than men. 是的，我们总会或多或少地让自己退缩，我们将一直以来接收到的负面信息内在化了：女人说话坦率是错误的，女人有进取心是错误的，女人比男人权力更大也是错误的。

We lower our own expectations of what we can achieve. 于是，我们只有降低对自己取得的成就的期望值。

We continue to do the majority of the housework and child care. 我们继续包揽了大多数家务，孩子也通常由我们来照顾。

We compromise our career goals to make room for partners and children who may not even exist yet. 我们为了另一半，甚至为了备孕而在事业上做出妥协。

Compared to our male colleagues, fewer of us aspire² to senior positions. 与男同事相比，我们更少渴望获得高层管理职位。

This is not a list of things other women have done. I have made every mistake on this list. At times, I still do. 我并不是在列数其他女性的错误，这些弯路我都走过，而且我现在仍然会犯同样的错误。

My argument is that getting rid of these internal barriers is critical to gaining power. 我已经说过，克服上述的内在障碍便是女性获得权力的关键。

Others have argued that women can get to the top only when the institutional barriers are gone. 有人会认为，只有破除了制度的障碍之后，女性才能跻身高层。

This is the ultimate chicken-and-egg situation. 这说到底是个“鸡生蛋蛋生鸡”的问题。

The chicken: Women will tear down the external barriers once we achieve leadership roles. “鸡”是指，女性一旦实现了领导者的角色，就能够摆脱外部障碍。

We will march into our bosses' offices and demand what we need, including pregnancy³ parking. 我们可以径直走进老板办公室，提出诸如设置孕妇停车位等合理要求。

Or better yet, we'll become bosses and make sure all women have what they need. 更重要的是，我们自己就可以成为老板，确保所有女性的需求都能得到满足。

The egg: We need to eliminate the external barriers to get women into those roles in the first place. “蛋”是指，我们首先要消除那些阻碍女性成为领导者的因素。

Both sides are right. So rather than engage in philosophical⁴ arguments over which comes first, let's agree to wage battles on both fronts. They are equally important.  这两者都是对的，我们没有必要陷在哪个在先或是哪个更重要的哲学辩论中，而是要达成共识，同时在两条战线上并肩作战。它们是同等重要的。

 

1 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

2 aspire   

vi.(to，after)渴望，追求，有志于

参考例句：

• Living together with you is what I aspire toward in my life.和你一起生活是我一生最大的愿望。
• I aspire to be an innovator not a follower.我迫切希望能变成个开创者而不是跟随者。

3 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

4 philosophical   

adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的

参考例句：

• The teacher couldn't answer the philosophical problem.老师不能解答这个哲学问题。
• She is very philosophical about her bad luck.她对自己的不幸看得很开。