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经济学人双语 | 再穷不能穷教育,女孩尤其如此,疫情之下的贫穷国家

英语沙塔电影英语学习站 2021-01-27 3801次

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《Getting girlhood right》

For much of human history and in many places, girls were considered property. Or, at best, subordinate people, required to obey their fathers until the day they had to start obeying their husbands. Few people thought it worthwhile to educate them. Even fewer imagined that a girl could grow up to govern Germany, run the IMF or invent a vaccine.

For much of human history:在人类历史的大部分时间里,for much of表示大部分,大多,例如for much of his life,他一生中的大多数时间里

at best:充其量也不过是

think it worthwhile to:认为做……值得做

在人类历史的大部分时间里,在许多地方,女孩被视为财产。或者,充其量也就是说,从属于自己的人,被要求服从父亲,直到他们不得不开始服从丈夫的那一天。很少有人认为教育他们是值得的。甚至很少有人能想象一个女孩长大后能统治德国、管理国际货币基金组织或发明疫苗。

In most of the world that vision of girlhood now seems not merely old-fashioned but unimaginably remote. In much of the rich world parents now treat their daughters as well as they do their sons, and invest as much in their future. In field after field girls have caught up with boys. Globally, young women now outnumber young men at university. The speed of change has been blistering. Fifty years ago only 49% of primary-school-age girls in lower-middle-income countries were in school, compared with 71% of boys; today the share of both is about 90%. In 1998 only half the world’s secondary-school-age girls were enrolled; today two-thirds are. Over the same period rates of illiteracy fell from one in five young women aged 15-24 to one in ten, bringing them roughly on a par with young men.

unimaginably remote:遥不可及,远的难以想象

treat their daughters as well as they do their sons:他们对待女儿和对待儿子一样好

In field after field:在一个又一个领域里

catch up with sb:赶上……

outnumber:人数比……多

blistering:迅速的,劲头十足的

the share of both:两者的占比,share表示占的部分,在股票中还可以表示股份

be enrolled、are enrolled:入学

illiteracy:文盲

bring them roughly on a par with……:使她们与……大致持平。on a par with……表示与……持平,bring sb on a par with表示使某某人与……达到持平

在世界上大多数国家,少女时代的景象现在看来不仅过时,而且遥不可及。在许多发达国家,父母现在对待女儿和对待儿子一样好,对未来的投资也一样多。在一个又一个领域里,女孩们追上了男孩们。现在大学里的年轻男性人数超过了全球的年轻男性。变化的速度一直很快。50年前,中等偏下收入国家只有49%的小学适龄女童上学,而男童的这一比例为71%;如今这两个比例都在90%左右。1998年,世界上只有一半的中学适龄女童入学;今天,三分之二的女童入学。在同一时期,文盲率从15-24岁的五分之一下降到十分之一,使她们与青年男子大致持平。

Girl babies are more wanted than ever before. Parents in some countries prefer them. Girls are also less likely to be married off in childhood. In 1995 almost six in ten girls in South Asia were hitched before reaching18; that ratio has fallen by half. Around the world, it has fallen from one in four to one in five. Girls are healthier, too. Compared with the mid-1990s, they become sexually active later and are more likely to use contraception. Rates of teenage pregnancy have fallen by a quarter globally and by two-thirds in South Asia and North America. Girls are less likely to suffer female genital mutilation—and object to this horrific tradition more vocally. Whereas in 2000 just 27% of women and girls in the most-affected regions said it should be banned, today 54% do.

be married off:被嫁出去,marry off A to B或者B is married off to A都表示A嫁给B

were hitched:get hitched有结婚的意思,即get married

use contraception:采取避孕措施

female genital mutilation:女性生殖器官割礼

vocally:大声地,直言不讳地

女婴比以往任何时候都更需要。有些国家的父母更喜欢这样。女孩在童年时也不太可能嫁出去。1995年,南亚几乎十分之六的女孩在18岁之前就结婚了;这个比例已经下降了一半。在世界范围内,这一比例从四分之一下降到五分之一。女孩也更健康。与上世纪90年代中期相比,她们性生活活跃,更有可能采取避孕措施。全球青少年怀孕率下降了四分之一,南亚和北美下降了三分之二。女孩们不太可能遭受女性生殖器切割的痛苦,并且更大声地反对这一可怕的传统。2000年,在受影响最严重的地区,只有27%的妇女和女孩说应该禁止这种做法,而现在有54%的妇女和女孩这样做。

When societies handle girlhood well, the knock-on effects are astounding. A girl who finishes secondary school is less likely to become a child bride or a teenage mother. Education boosts earning power and widens choices, so she is less likely to be poor or to suffer domestic abuse. She will earn almost twice as much as a girl without schooling. And she will pass on a smorgasbord of advantages to her offspring. She will have fewer children, and invest more in them. They will be less likely to die in infancy, or to grow up stunted physically or mentally. She will read to them more, and help them with their homework. All this means they will learn more, and earn more as adults. A recent study by Citigroup and Plan International estimated that, if a group of emerging economies ensured that 100% of their girls completed secondary school, it could lead to a lasting boost to their GDP of 10% by 2030.

knock-on effects:连锁效应,knock on意为敲打,撞击,knock-on effects也可以表示撞击反应

boosts earning power and widens choices:提高了收入能力,扩大了选择范围。earning power表示盈利能力,赚钱能力

domestic abuse:家庭暴力

a smorgasbord of:一系列的,一大堆的,smorgasbord意为自助餐

grow up stunted:发育迟缓,stunted意为生长不良的,后面grow up stunted physically or mentally意为身体或精神上发育迟缓

当社会能很好地处理少女时代的问题时,这种连锁反应是惊人的。中学毕业的女孩不太可能成为童养媳或十几岁的母亲。教育提高了收入能力,拓宽了选择范围,因此她不太可能贫穷或遭受家庭虐待。不上学她挣的钱几乎是女孩的两倍。她会把一大堆好处传给她的后代。她将有更少的孩子,并在他们身上投资更多。他们不太可能在婴儿期死亡,或在身体或精神上发育迟缓。她会给他们读更多的书,帮助他们做家庭作业。所有这些都意味着他们长大后会学到更多,赚得更多。花旗集团(Citigroup)和国际计划组织(plan international)最近的一项研究估计,如果一批新兴经济体能够保证100%的女孩完成中学学业,到2030年,这将使她们的GDP增长10%。

The covid-19 pandemic could hobble progress for girls in poor countries, or even reverse it. During previous disasters, they have often suffered most. When Ebola forced west African schools to close in 2014, many girls dropped out, never went back and ended up pregnant or as child laborers. UNICEF warns that something similar could happen with covid-19—but on a larger scale. Studies suggest that in the next decade 13m child marriages that would have been averted may go ahead, and an extra 2m girls may have their genitals cut.

hobble:表示阻碍,防止

on a larger scale:更大的规模

avert:避免

covid-19的流行可能会阻碍贫穷国家女孩的进步,甚至逆转这种趋势。在以往的灾难中,他们往往受害最深。2014年埃博拉迫使西非学校关闭时,许多女孩辍学,再也没有回去,最终怀孕或成为童工。联合国儿童基金会警告说,类似的情况可能发生在covid-19上,但规模更大。研究表明,在未来十年,1300万本可以避免的童婚可能会继续,另外200万女孩的生殖器可能会被割掉。

The risk of regression is real. So it is crucial that, even if governments of poor countries have to tighten their belts, they prioritize spending on education and girls. Donors should help, too. And policies should be joined up. Persuading girls to stay in school longer is not only a way to teach them maths; it is also a chance to vaccinate them and teach them about birth control, consent and self-assertion. It can even be an opportunity to advise parents about the downsides of child marriage.

tighten their belts:勒紧裤腰带,即缩减支出

prioritize:优先,prioritize doing sth表示优先做某事

倒退的风险是真实的。因此,至关重要的是,即使贫穷国家的政府不得不勒紧裤腰带,它们也应优先在教育和女童方面支出。捐助者也应该提供帮助。政策应该结合起来。劝说女孩在学校多呆一会儿,不仅是教她们数学的一种方式,也是给她们接种疫苗、教她们节育、同意和自我主张的一个机会。这甚至可以成为一个机会,让父母了解童婚的不利因素。

总结

For much of human history:在人类历史的大部分时间里,for much of表示大部分,大多,例如for much of his life,他一生中的大多数时间里

boosts earning power and widens choices:提高了收入能力,扩大了选择范围。earning power表示盈利能力,赚钱能力

vocally:大声地,直言不讳地

knock-on effects:连锁效应,knock on意为敲打,撞击,knock-on effects也可以表示撞击反应

grow up stunted:发育迟缓,stunted意为生长不良的,后面grow up stunted physically or mentally意为身体或精神上发育迟缓

hobble:表示阻碍,防止

at best:充其量也不过是

treat their daughters as well as they do their sons:他们对待女儿和对待儿子一样好

In field after field:在一个又一个领域里

be enrolled:are enrolled入学

bring them roughly on a par with……:使她们与……大致持平。on a par with……表示与……持平,bring sb on a par with表示使某某人与……达到持平

be married off:被嫁出去,marry off A to B或者B is married off to A都表示A嫁给B

were hitched:get hitched有结婚的意思,即get married

a smorgasbord of:一系列的,一大堆的,smorgasbord意为自助餐

tighten their belts:勒紧裤腰带,即缩减支出

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