向前一步:第21期 职业女性的内在障碍(10)

 My girlfriends, however, expressed shock and horror that I would leave my boyfriend at the time to live abroad for a year. 但听说我要离开当时的男友到国外居住一年，我的女伴们都一脸的震惊和恐惧，

My relatives asked whether I was worried that I'd never get married. 亲戚们都问我是否担心自己会嫁不出去。

And when I attended a barbecue with my then-beau, his boss took me aside to remind me that 'there aren't many guys like that out there.' 我与当时的男友参加一场户外烧烤活动，他的老板拉我到一边提醒我‘像那样的好男人可不多’。

The result of these negative reactions, in Gayle's view, is that many women still see ambition as a dirty word." 在莱蒙看来，其他人所给出的这些负面反应，导致的直接结果是让许多女性“仍将进取心看作是羞于提起的字眼”。

Many have argued with me that ambition is not the problem. 人们与我争辩，认为问题并不在于进取心本身。

Women are not less ambitious than men, they insist, but more enlightened with different and more meaningful goals. 他们坚持认为女性的抱负心不逊色于男性，她们只是追随着有别于男性而且更有意义的目标而已。

I do not dismiss or dispute this argument. 我不会反对或反驳这种看法。

There is far more to life than climbing a career ladder, 除了在职业生涯上孜孜以求之外，

including raising children, seeking personal fulfillment, contributing to society, and improving the lives of others. 人生还有很多重要的事情，比如生儿育女、个人追求、社会贡献以及扶助他人等等。

And there are many people who are deeply committed to their jobs but do not—and should not have to— aspire¹ to run their organizations. 有许多人在工作中极为投入，但并不意味着（也不应该是必须）他们想要成为工作单位的经营管理者。

Leadership roles are not the only way to have profound impact. 若要让自己产生影响力，成为领导者并不是唯一的方式。

I also acknowledge that there are biological differences between men and women. 我也承认，男人和女人之间的确有着生理上的差异。

I have breast-fed two children and noted², at times with great disappointment, that this was simply not something my husband was equipped to do. 我的两个孩子都是母乳喂养，我有时候会非常失望地想到，哺乳是我丈夫压根儿就没有生理条件去做的一件事。

Are there characteristics inherent in sex differences that make women more nurturing³ and men more assertive⁴? Quite possibly.  在性别差异中是否存在某些先天的特征让女人更适合哺育后代，而让男人更有自信与决断力？很有可能。

 

1 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。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 nurturing   

养育( nurture的现在分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长

参考例句：

• These delicate plants need careful nurturing. 这些幼嫩的植物需要精心培育。
• The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants. 这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。

4 assertive   

adj.果断的，自信的，有冲劲的

参考例句：

• She always speaks an assertive tone.她总是以果断的语气说话。
• China appears to have become more assertive in the waters off its coastline over recent years.在近些年，中国显示出对远方海洋的自信。