向前一步:第188期 全能女人是个神话(21)

 Sociologists call this relatively¹ new phenomenon "intensive mothering," 社会学家称这种新现象为“强度母职”，

and it has culturally elevated the importance of women spending large amounts of time with their children. 这种现象从文化上强调女性应该花大量的时间和孩子在一起。

Being judged against the current all-consuming standard means mothers who work outside the home feel as if we are failing, 由于上班族母亲被认为有悖于现在这种高强度的标准，所以现代女性看上去好像活得很失败，

even if we are spending the same number of hours with our kids as our mothers did. 就算我们陪孩子的时间与母亲以前陪我们的时间一样长。

When I drop my kids off at school and see the mothers who are staying to volunteer, 当我开车送孩子上学，看到有其他母亲留在学校做义工时，

I worry that my children are worse off because I'm not with them full-time². 我很担心由于我不能整天陪着他们，会导致他们的成绩每况愈下。

This is where my trust in hard data and research has helped me the most. 翔实的研究数据帮了我大忙：

Study after study suggests that the pressure society places on women to stay home and do "what's best for the child" is based on emotion, not evidence. 多项研究表明，社会给女性施加了种种压力，比如她们应该待在家里、做“对孩子们最好的事”，但这么做其实是基于情感因素，而非事实依据。

In 1991, the Early Child Care Research Network, under the auspices³ of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 1991年，由美国国家儿童健康和人类发展协会主办的早期儿童护理研究网，

initiated⁴ the most ambitious and comprehensive study to date on the relationship between child care and child development, 发起了一项范围非常广泛的研究，按时间记录儿童看护与儿童发展之间的关系，

and in particular on the effect of exclusive maternal⁵ care versus⁶ child care. 尤其对比了由母亲专职照顾与一般看护的结果。

The Research Network, which comprised more than thirty child development experts from leading universities across the country, spent eighteen months designing the study. 此研究网有30多个研究儿童发展的专家，他们来自美国各大高校，花了18个月对研究进行构思设计，

 

1 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

2 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

3 auspices   

n.资助，赞助

参考例句：

• The association is under the auspices of Word Bank.这个组织是在世界银行的赞助下办的。
• The examination was held under the auspices of the government.这次考试是由政府主办的。

4 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

5 maternal   

adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的

参考例句：

• He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
• The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。

6 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。