向前一步:第164期 让你的另一半成为你真正的人生搭档(22)

 For men, participating in child rearing¹ fosters² the development of patience, empathy, and adaptability³, 对于男性，更多参与孩子的养育过程也能够培养自己的耐心、同情心和适应能力，

characteristics that benefit all of their relationships. 这些特质对处理各种人际关系都是非常有益处的。

For women, earning money increases their decision-making ability in the home, protects them in case of divorce, 对于女性，收入的增加会提高在家庭事务上的决策能力，即便遭遇离婚也能保护自己。

and can be important security in later years, as women often outlive their husbands. 此外，收入的增加还是未来生活重要的安全保障，因为女性的寿命一般比男性长。

Also—and many might find this the most motivating factor—couples who share domestic⁴ responsibilities have more sex. 而且，很多人还会发现分担家庭责任的夫妻在性生活上更活跃——这是夫妻生活的激发因子。

It may be counterintuitive, but the best way for a man to make a pass at his wife might be to do the dishes. 也许这有违直觉，但一个男人和妻子调情的最好方式也许是洗碗。

I also feel strongly that when a mother stays at home, her time during the day should still be considered real work—because it is. 我强烈提议全职母亲的劳动也应该被看作是真正的工作，事实也的确如此：

Raising children is at least as stressful and demanding as a paying job. 养育孩子给人的压力和要求并不亚于一份有偿工作。

It is unfair that mothers are frequently expected to work long into the night while fathers who work outside the home get the chance to relax from their day jobs. 人们常常期待家庭主妇忙碌到深夜，在外工作的丈夫回家则需要放松，这其实并不公平。

When the father is home, he should take on half the child care and housework. 当父亲回家后，他应该一起照顾孩子、分担家务。

Also, most employed fathers interact⁵ with other grown-ups all day, 而且，大多数有工作的父亲白天都在和其他成年人打交道，

while mothers at home are often starved for adult conversation by evening. 而在家里的全职母亲会迫切希望能在晚上与丈夫进行成年人之间的交流。

I know a woman who gave up a career as a lawyer to be a stay-at-home mom 我认识的一个女人放弃了律师工作在家当全职母亲，

and always insisted that when her husband, a TV writer, got home from work, he asked her, "How was your day?" before he launched into an account of his own. 她总是坚持要求做电视编剧的丈夫下班回家后，先问她一句：“你今天过得怎么样？”

 

1 rearing   

v.饲养( rear的现在分词 )；养育；抚养；抬起

参考例句：

• She spends a lot of time rearing animals. 她花费大量时间饲养动物。 来自辞典例句
• Soviet women carry the main burden of shopping, homemaking and child rearing. 苏联的妇女承担的主要义务就是采购，做家务及抚养孩子。 来自辞典例句

2 fosters   

v.培养，促进( foster的第三人称单数 )；收养，养育

参考例句：

• The lack of understanding fosters feelings of hatred between the two nations. 缺乏了解助长两国之间的仇意。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Too rigid parental control fosters rebellion in children. 父母管教过严会促使子女反抗。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 adaptability   

n.适应性

参考例句：

• It has a wide range of adaptability.它的应用性广。

4 domestic   

adj.家里的，国内的，本国的；n.家仆，佣人

参考例句：

• This is domestic news.这是国内新闻。
• She does the domestic affairs every day.她每天都忙家务。

5 interact   

vi.相互作用，相互影响，互通信息

参考例句：

• All things are interrelated and interact on each other.一切事物互相联系并相互作用。
• The policeman advised the criminal to interact with the police.警察劝罪犯与警方合作。