向前一步:第157期 让你的另一半成为你真正的人生搭档(15)

 　　We all need to encourage men to lean in to their families. 我们都需要鼓励男人在承担家庭责任方面更积极。

　　Unfortunately, traditional gender¹ roles are reinforced not just by individuals, but also by employment policies. 遗憾的是，在美国，传统的性别分工不仅被个人强化，也被就业政策所强化。

　　Most companies in the United States offer more time off for maternity² than paternity leave, 但大多数美国公司的产假都比陪产假更长，

　　and men take far fewer extended breaks from work for family reasons. 男人出于家庭原因要求休假的时间普遍较少。

　　Our laws support this double standard. 我们的法律支持这个双重标准。

　　In the United States, only five states provide any income replacement³ for the care of a new baby (which is a large problem in and of itself). 在美国，只有5个州会用收入替代产假（这种做法本身就有很大问题）；

　　In three of these states, this benefit is only offered to mothers and is characterized as a pregnancy⁴ disability benefit. 其中有3个州规定这种福利只有母亲享有，而且还被归为产后行动不便带来的福利；

　　Only two states offer a paid family leave benefit that fathers can use. 只有两个州为新爸爸们提供了带薪陪产假。

　　In general, fathers do not take much time off for a new child; 一般而言，男性不会为了家里的新生儿休假太长。

　　a survey of fathers in the corporate⁵ sector⁶ found that the vast majority took off one week or less when their partners gave birth, 对在企业部门当父亲的男性所做的一项调查发现，他们在伴侣分娩时只会休一个星期或更短的假，

　　hardly enough time to start out as an equal parent. 这几乎很难让他们从一开始就成为与伴侣地位平等的家长。

　　I'm proud that even before I arrived, Facebook offered equal time for maternity and paternity leave. 令我骄傲的是，在我到脸谱网之前，公司就已经为产假和陪产假提供了相同的时间。

　　When family friendly benefits like paternity leave or reduced work hours are offered, 如果有类似陪产假或可以减少工作时间的福利规定，

　　both male and female employees often worry that if they take advantage of these programs, they will be seen as uncommitted to their jobs. 员工又常常担心是否能充分地利用它们，担心休这些假会被认为对工作不够投入。

　　And for good reason. 这种担心完全是有原因的。

　　Employees who use these benefits often face steep penalties ranging from substantial pay cuts to lost promotions⁷ to marginalization. 享受这些福利的员工常常要面对不合理的处罚，从大幅减薪到失去升职机会、被边缘化。

1 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

2 maternity   

n.母性，母道，妇产科病房；adj.孕妇的，母性的

参考例句：

• Women workers are entitled to maternity leave with full pay.女工产假期间工资照发。
• Trainee nurses have to work for some weeks in maternity.受训的护士必须在产科病房工作数周。

3 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

4 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。

5 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

6 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

7 promotions   

促进( promotion的名词复数 )； 提升； 推广； 宣传

参考例句：

• All services or promotions must have an appeal and wide application. 所有服务或促销工作都必须具有吸引力和广泛的适用性。
• He promptly directed the highest promotions and decorations for General MacArthur. 他授予麦克阿瑟将军以最高的官阶和勋奖。