VOA常速英语2016 性别平等关乎全球福祉（在线收听）

性别平等关乎全球福祉

Gender equality has powerful potential to improve the economy, security and the overall well-being of a population.

性别平等很可能大幅提升经济、安全以及民生福祉。

“If the world closed the gender gap in workforce participation, global Gross Domestic Product would increase by 28 trillion dollars by 2025... That's about a quarter of the world's current GDP, and almost half of the world's current debt,” said U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues Catherine Russell in a recent speech. She also noted that “studies have found that countries with less gender inequality are more secure, and peace agreements last longer when women are at the negotiating table.”

“如果全球劳动力的男女比例差距缩小，那么2025年时，全球GDP将提升28万亿美元……这个数字近乎是目前全球GDP的1/4，并与当前全球债务总额的半数不分伯仲”，近日，美国的全球女性事务无任所大使凯瑟琳在演讲中如是说道。她还提到，“研究发现，性别不平等现象越少的国家，安全指数越高。此外，若有女性参与谈判，则和平协定持续时间越长”。

Nonetheless, no country in the world can boast that it has achieved full gender equality.

然而，世界上没有哪个国家能夸口自己已经实现了完全的性别平等。

“Around the world, women are vastly underrepresented in politics and the workforce, particularly in leadership positions and other high-paying jobs,” said Ambassador Russell. At the same time, women make up the bulk of the poor. “I've heard people say that poverty has a female face, and that makes sense when you consider that women control just one-fifth of global wealth,” said Ambassador Russell.

“全球范围内，女性在政治和劳动领域的代表性人物普遍低于男性，尤其是领导地位和其他高薪职位更是如此”，凯瑟琳说道。除此之外，贫困人口中女性数量庞大。“我曾听过这样一句话，说贫穷长着一张女性的脸。而当我们反观到女性仅占有全球1/5的财富时，就会觉得这句话有道理”，凯瑟琳说。

World leaders are beginning to recognize that everyone benefits from advancing gender equality, she said. This is why gender equality is part of U.S. foreign policy. A key part of U.S. efforts focus on educating and empowering girls. In the past 18 months, the United States launched its global strategy to empower adolescent girls, as well as Let Girls Learn, which is a Presidential initiative that focuses on educating girls.

她说，世界上很多领导人开始认识到，每个人都会从性别平等的提升中受益。这也是美国性别平等成为美国外交政策一部分的原因。让女孩儿受到教育并强大起来是美国努力的方向之一。在过去的一年半中，美国开始了其全球策略，以强大处于青春期的女孩儿。而“让女孩子”上学也是总统致力于让女孩受教育的一个举措。

We are also working with numerous countries to dismantle barriers that keep women from inheriting or owning property, entering the formal job market or accessing banking services.

此外，我们还和很多国家合作，以清除阻隔女性继承或拥有财产、进入正式的求职市场、获得银行服务的障碍。

“Gender equality sometimes looks like an impossible task—a pursuit without an end,” said Ambassador Russell. “But...we can make progress, and that progress is worth making. Little by little, discussion by discussion, step by step, we can improve the lives of women and girls, men and boys all around the world. And in doing so, we can reach our shared goals of peace, prosperity, and security.”

凯瑟琳说，“性别平等有时候看似无法实现——一个永远无法完结的追求”，“但……我们是能够在这方面取得进步的，而且进步也是值得争取的。只要我们一点一点，一步一步，多加讨论，就能提升女性甚至男性的生活状况。这样做，我们还能共同实现和平、繁荣、安全的目标”。