- •Unit 4 women in the changing world
- •Feminism in the us
- •Reading
- •1. Read the article “Feminism in the 1990s” and answer the questions
- •Feminism in the 1990s
- •2. Listen to the speakers again and decide which of them says the following.
- •In the talk show, the guests bring up different issues. What are these
- •Issues? Make up a list and discuss it with your partner. Follow up
- •Writing
- •2. Read the following passage and put a suitable word into each gap.
- •Listening
- •Ideas and jot them down in a couple of sentences. Listening
- •Listen to the speakers and match the names of the guests on the left with their occupations on the right.
- •Have your say
- •"It’s high time men ceased to regard women as second-class citizens”
- •The argument: key words
- •The counter-argument: key words
- •1. Read the opinions below and learn the new vocabulary. Summarize the
- •Say which opinions you agree or disagree with. Explain why.
- •Vocabulary
- •Focus on vocabulary
- •6. Match each of the adjectives on the left with suitable nouns on the right to
- •7. Explain the difference between childcarer, childminder, babysitter, and
- •8. Could you explain what is meant?
- •9. Paraphrase using the active vocabulary.
- •10. Say it in English.
- •Reading
- •1. Complete the following passage putting a suitable word or expression into
- •2. Before you read the article below, try to guess what the dilemma of the
- •Dilemma for the modern woman
- •Vocabulary work
- •Comprehension check
- •Writing
- •Have your say
- •1. What is your attitude to “the reversal of roles” when a woman becomes
- •2. Comment upon the statement: “Women don’t need equality, they need
- •Brush up everything you have done and get ready to take part in a round-table talk.
Reading
1. Read the article “Feminism in the 1990s” and answer the questions
below.
a. What role has feminism played in transforming women's life and
expectations? Ideas and attitudes?
b. Is there full equality between the sexes now?
c. Is radical feminism to blame for any social problems (e.g. increasing
amount of sexual antagonism)?
Feminism in the 1990s
Mary-Ann Stephenson
Director, the Fawcett society
Feminism has been one of the most significant social movements of the last century and will continue to have a profound importance in the next.
The influence of feminism has been so far reaching that many ideas that seemed unusual in our mothers' or grandmothers' time are now part of the mainstream. Most of us no longer think, for example, that domestic violence is a "private matter" or that men are entitled to use violence towards their wives. We no longer accept that rape is caused by women “asking for it”. We no longer think it is reasonable to exclude women from certain jobs, regardless of how skilled they are simply because they are women or to pay women a lower rate for doing the same job as a man. Going back even further we no longer think that women are too stupid or easily led to have the vote, or that any money earned by a woman should automatically become the property of her husband.
Of course not everybody is happy with this change in public attitudes. The transformation in women’s lives and expectations has meant that men's roles too have had to change. Although many men welcome the chance for a more equal partnership with women where both work and caring can be shared, some men have found the prospect of change deeply upsetting. They rarely say they want to return women to the status of chattel, prevent girls from receiving an education or legislate to prevent women entering certain jobs. Instead they argue that feminism has gone too far. Feminists are blamed for a wide range of certain ills and human misery.
Although many women have greater opportunities than ever before there are still many barriers to true choice and equality. Women still earn less when we work, and are far more likely to live in poverty when we retire. Two women a week die at the hands of their partners or ex-partners. Working patterns developed around the lives of men who had wives to care for their children who do not work, not for the women who work and need to balance paid work with family life and caring responsibilities. Women still form a tiny minority among all classes of powerful decision makers, from company directors to judges, university professors or politicians.
Looking at the lives of women in the UK it is clear that far from going too far, feminism has not yet gone far enough. It is not increased choices that make women's lives difficult, but the fact that for too far many women the real choices on offer to them do not come up to their expectations of equality.