单选题
They are regarded as chores by both sexes, but fall
disproportionately on only one. The latest survey of time use in America
suggests women still shoulder most of the housework, spending on average an hour
a day, compared with barely 20 minutes for the unfairer sex.
Standard explanations for this division of labor rest on the pay gap between the
sexes. A recent report shows women still earn about 20% less than men in
America. But in a new paper, Leslie Stratton of Virginia Commonwealth University
asks whether different attitudes to housework also play a role in sharing the
dusting. Ms. Stratton draws on data from the 2000—2001 Time Use
Survey in Britain, which shows how people spent their day and which tasks they
enjoyed. Attitudes certainly differed: women disliked laundry less than men;
ironing was extremely dreaded by both; strangely large numbers of both sexes
liked shopping for food. Ms. Stratton found some evidence for
the pay-gap hypothesis. Women with higher wages did a little less work at home.
A woman who earned 10% more than average escaped doing two minutes' housework
per weekday. Her partner heroically made up this time at the weekend. But his
wages made no difference to the extent of his efforts around the
house. The major determinant of how much housework a man did
was how much he disliked it. Men who liked housework spent around 60% more time
per weekday on it than those who were indifferent to it. Women's preferences
seemed to have no effect on the time they spent on chores. One
way to reduce the burden for both is to get help, although again the rewards are
unevenly spread. He got away with 43% less housework at weekends, and she did
17% less. Almost all the extra housework generated by children was taken on by
the woman. As children get older the weekday burden falls, but weekend time
rises—and still comes mainly from her. There is truth in the
idea that chores go to the lower-paid partner. But cause and effect are unclear.
Do women do more because of lower pay, or might their careers suffer from a
disproportionate burden at home? Evidence that only men's preferences seem to
matter suggests the latter explanation should not be swept under the
carpet.
单选题
In a new paper, Leslie Stratton aims to ______.
A. introduce some new ways for women to do less housework
B. explain women's housework burden from a new angle
C. challenge the survey that women still do most of the housework
D. confirm the standard explanation for women's housework burden
单选题
The author suggests in the last sentence of the passage that ______.
A. the way housework is divided between the sexes is unlikely to
change
B. both sexes agree that the lower-paid one should do more housework
C. extra housework makes it harder for women to pursue their careers
D. men do less housework because they are the main breadwinners
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】最后一段说家务活交给收入低的一方去做的想法有一定道理，但其中的因果关系并不清晰。女性做的家务多，是因为她们的收入低还是说她们的事业受到家务分配不当的影响?似乎只有男性的喜好才是重要的，这一点表明，我们还应去探究另外一个原因。隐含的意思是繁重的家务劳动确实可能影响了女性的事业发展。sweep under the carpet是个英语成语，其含义是“隐藏或掩饰起来”。