VOA慢速英语2019 日本女性抗议穿高跟鞋上班

Japanese Women Stand Against High Heels

Thousands of Japanese women have joined a social media campaign against rules for what kind of clothing is acceptable¹ at work. The campaign also rejects expectations that women wear high heels in the workplace.

上万名日本女性加入了一场社交媒体运动，反对工作场所的着装规定。这场运动还拒绝了人们对女性在工作场所穿高跟鞋的期望。

The movement is called #KuToo. The term #KuToo is a play on the Japanese word “kutsu” for shoes and “kutsuu,” meaning pain.

这场运动被称为#KuToo运动，KuToo这个术语是日本单词鞋子（Kutsu）和疼痛（Kutsuu）的双关语。

Yumi Ishikawa launched the campaign after leaving a message on the social networking service Twitter. She wrote about being forced to wear high heels for a part-time job at a funeral home. The 32-year-old said the requirement is an example of gender² discrimination.

石川由美（Yumi Ishikawa）在社交媒体网站推特上发布消息，发起了这项运动。她写到自己在殡仪馆做兼职工作，被迫穿上高跟鞋。这位32岁的女性表示，这项要求是性别歧视的一个例子。

Ishikawa also works part-time as a writer and as an actress. She has started on online appeal to demand the government bar companies from requiring female employees to wear high heels on the job. As of Tuesday, nearly 20,000 women have signed the appeal.

石川由美还兼职作家和演员。她开始在网上呼吁，要求政府禁止公司要求女性员工在工作中穿高跟鞋。截至周二，已经有近2万名女性在这项呼吁中签名。

Ishikawa wrote that wearing high heels causes health problems for women with their feet and in the lower back. “It’s hard to move, you can’t run and your feet hurt. All because of manners,” she wrote, noting that men do not face the same expectations.

石川由美写道，穿高跟鞋会导致女性脚部和腰部出现健康问题。她写道：“穿高跟鞋很难运动，没法跑，脚也会受到伤害，这一切都是因为礼仪。”她指出男性就不会受到类似的期望。

Japan’s gender discrimination

日本的性别歧视

While many Japanese companies may not exactly require female employees to wear high heels, many women do so because of tradition and social expectations.

虽然很多日本公司可能并不完全要求女性员工穿高跟鞋，但是很多女性会因为传统和社会期望而这样做。

Ishikawa said she had been the target of online harassment³ over the campaign, mostly from men. “I’ve been asked why I need to make such a big deal about this - can’t I just work this out with your company?” she said.

石川由美表示，她在这项运动中成为了网络骚扰的目标，其中多数来自于男性。她说：“人们一直问我，我为什么要在这件事上大费周章，你不能跟你的公司解决这件事吗？”

Ishikawa told the Reuters news agency, “We need people to realize that gender discrimination can show up in lots of small ways.” She noted⁴ the way women are treated by their supervisors⁵ and expectations that women will do all the housework and childcare - even if they work outside the home.

石川由美对路透社表示：“我们需要让人们意识到，性别歧视表现在很多小的方面。”她提到了女性被她们主管对待的方式，以及人们期望女性会做所有家务和带孩子，即使她们也在外工作。

Japan, she said, is “way behind other countries in this regard.” Japan finished in 110th place out of 149 countries in the World Economic Forum’s gender-equality ratings⁶.

她说：“日本在这方面远远落后于其它国家。”在世界经济论坛的性别平等评级上，日本在149个国家中位列第110位。

Until recently, Japanese businessmen were expected to wear neckties at work. However, that has changed since the government launched a campaign in 2005 to persuade companies to turn down air-conditioners and reduce electricity use.

直到最近，日本商务人士还被期望在工作中打领带。然而，自从政府在2005年发起一项劝说公司关小空调减少耗电的运动以来，情况发生了变化。

“It would be great if the country had a similar kind of campaign about high heels,” said Ishikawa. The health ministry⁷ said it was considering the appeal, but had nothing more to say.

石川由美表示：“如果日本有类似关于高跟鞋的运动该有多好。”厚生劳动省表示正在考虑这一呼吁，但是没有给出更多评论。

In Britain, Nicola Thorp launched a similar appeal in 2016 after she was sent home from work for refusing to wear high heels.

在英国，尼古拉·索普（Nicola Thorp）在2016年因为拒绝穿高跟鞋被辞退后，发起了类似的运动。

A parliamentary investigation⁸ found there was discrimination in British workplaces, but the government rejected a bill banning companies from requiring women to wear high heels.

英国议会调查发现在英国的工作场所存在歧视，但是政府否决了禁止公司要求女性穿高跟鞋的法案。

I'm Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

heel - n. the part of the bottom of a shoe or boot that is under the heel of your foot

gender - n. the state of being male or female

manner - n. the way that something is done

harassment - n. constant or repeated action to annoy or bother someone

1 acceptable   

adj.可接受的，合意的，受欢迎的

参考例句：

• The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
• Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。

2 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

3 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

4 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。

5 supervisors   

n.监督者，管理者( supervisor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I think the best technical people make the best supervisors. 我认为最好的技术人员可以成为最好的管理人员。 来自辞典例句
• Even the foremen or first-level supervisors have a staffing responsibility. 甚至领班或第一线的监督人员也有任用的责任。 来自辞典例句

6 ratings   

n.等级( rating的名词复数 )；收视率；表示电影分级的数字（或字母）；（海军）水兵

参考例句：

• He won high ratings [marks] in all his examinations. 他所有的考试都获得高分。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The boat was operated by two naval ratings in dress whites. 船由两个穿着白色礼服的水兵驾驶。 来自辞典例句

7 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。