首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
The Decline of Asian Marriage Twenty years ago a debate broke out about whether there were specific "Asian values". Most att
The Decline of Asian Marriage Twenty years ago a debate broke out about whether there were specific "Asian values". Most att
admin
2013-10-17
23
问题
The Decline of Asian Marriage
Twenty years ago a debate broke out about whether there were specific "Asian values". Most attention focused on questionable claims by autocrats(独裁者)that democracy was not among them. But a more interesting, if less noticed, argument was that traditional family values were stronger in Asia than in America and Europe, and that this partly accounted for Asia’s economic success. In the words of Lee Kuan Yew, former prime minister of Singapore and a keen advocate of Asian values, the Asian family encouraged " scholarship and hard work and saving and delay of present enjoyment for future gain".
On the face of it his claim appears persuasive still. In most of Asia, marriage is widespread and illegitimacy(私生)almost unknown. In contrast, half of marriages in some Western countries end in divorce, and half of all children are born outside marriage. The recent riots across Britain, whose origins many believe lie in an absence of either parental guidance or filial(子女的)respect, seem to underline a profound difference between East and West.
Yet marriage is changing fast in East, South-East and South Asia, even though each region has different traditions. The changes are different from those that took place in the West in the second half of the 20th century. Divorce, though rising in some countries, remains comparatively rare. What’s happening in Asia is a flight from marriage.
Marriage rates are falling partly because people are postponing getting married. Marriage ages have risen all over the world, but the increase is particularly marked in Asia. People there now marry even later than they do in the West. The mean age of marriage in the richest places—Japan and South Korea—has risen sharply in the past few decades, to reach 29 -30 for women and 31 -33 for men.
A lot of Asians are not marrying later. They are not marrying at all. Almost a third of Japanese women in their early 30s are unmarried; probably half of those will always be. In some places, rates of non-marriage are especially striking: in Bangkok, 20% of 40 -44-year old women are not married; in Tokyo, 21% ; among university graduates of that age in Singapore, 27% . So far, the trend has not affected Asia’s two giants, China and India. But it is likely to, as the economic factors that have driven it elsewhere in Asia sweep through those two countries as well; and its consequences will be worsened by the sex-selective abortion practised for a generation there. By 2050, there will be 60m more men of marriageable age than women in China and India. The joy of staying single
Women are retreating from marriage as they go into the workplace. That’s partly because, for a woman, being both employed and married is tough in Asia. Women there are the primary caregivers for husbands, children and, often, for ageing parents; and even when in full-time employment, they are expected to continue to play this role. This is true elsewhere in the world, but the burden that Asian women carry is particularly heavy. Japanese women, who typically work 40 hours a week in the office, then do, on average, another 30 hours of housework. Their husbands, on average, do three hours. And Asian women who give up work to look after children find it hard to return when the children are grown. Not surprisingly, Asian women have an unusually pessimistic view of marriage. According to a survey carried out this year, many fewer Japanese women felt positive about their marriage than did Japanese men, or American women or men.
At the same time as employment makes marriage tougher for women, it offers them an alternative. More women are financially independent, so more of them can pursue a single life that may appeal more than the hard labor of a traditional marriage. More education has also contributed to the decline of marriage, because Asian women with the most education have always been the most reluctant to wed— and there are now many more highly educated women. No marriage, no babies
The flight from marriage in Asia is thus the result of the greater freedom that women enjoy these days, which is to be celebrated. But it is also creating social problems. Compared with the West, Asian countries have invested less in pensions and other forms of social protection, on the assumption that the family will look after ageing or ill relatives. That can no longer be taken for granted. The decline of marriage is also contributing to the collapse in the birth rate. Fertility in East Asia has fallen from 5.3 children per woman in the late 1960s to 1.6 now. In countries with the lowest marriage rates, the fertility rate is nearer 1.0. That is beginning to cause huge demographic(人口统计学的)problems, as populations age with surprising speed. And there are other, less obvious issues. Marriage socialises men: it is associated with lower levels of testosterone(睾丸素)and less criminal behaviour. Less marriage might mean more crime.
Can marriage be revived in Asia? Maybe, if expectations of those roles of both sexes change; but shifting traditional attitudes is hard. Governments cannot legislate away popular prejudices. They can, though, encourage change. Relaxing divorce laws might boost marriage. Women who now steer clear of marriage might be more willing to tie the knot if they know it can be untied—not just because they can get out of the marriage if it doesn’t work, but also because their freedom to leave might keep their husbands on their toes. Family law should give divorced women a more generous share of the couple’s assets. Governments should also legislate to get employers to offer both maternal and paternal leave, and provide or subsidise(资助)child care. If taking on such expenses helped promote family life, it might reduce the burden on the state of looking after the old.
Asian governments have long taken the view that the priority of their family life was one of their big advantages over the West. That confidence is no longer warranted. They need to wake up to the huge social changes happening in their countries and think about how to cope with the consequences.
In Asia, it is assumed that the family will take care of the aging and the ill members, so that______ and other forms of social protection have been less invested in.
选项
答案
pensions
解析
由定位句可知,亚洲国家对于养老金投入以及其他形式的社会保障较少,因为传统上认为家庭成员会照顾年老和生病的亲人。题干中将原文的因果关系语序进行了调换,it is assumed that与原文中的on the assumptionthat对应,故答案为pensions。
转载请注明原文地址:https://jikaoti.com/ti/xEQFFFFM
0
大学英语四级
相关试题推荐
Theunauthorized(未经授权的)copyingofcomputerprogramsbyAmericanbusinessesalonedeprivedsoftwarepublishersof$1.6billion
TheygiveActionManacertainruggednessandbestowinstanttestosterone(肾上腺激素)onmovieheroes,andaccordingtoBritishpsyc
TheygiveActionManacertainruggednessandbestowinstanttestosterone(肾上腺激素)onmovieheroes,andaccordingtoBritishpsyc
Tensofthousandsofthepoorestpart-timestudentsaretogetextramoneytohelppayuniversityfeesandmeetrisinglivingco
Thenation’smurderratedeclinedlastyearforthefirsttimeinfouryears,droppingtothelowestlevelin40years.Experts
Itismy______opinionthatwecannotaffordtobuyacar,forwehavetoraisechild.
A、Atthedoctor’soffice.B、Atadrugstore.C、Atarestaurant.D、Athome.B
A、Shepreferstoliveinanewhouse.B、Shehasjustboughtanewhouse.C、Shelikestohavesomeonewaitforher.D、Shefeelsp
A、May,29.B、June,29.C、July,29.D、August,29.B细节推断题。男士提到,学生报名的截止日期一般是在开学前两个月。因此,如果8月29日开学,那么报名的截止日期就是6月29日。
随机试题
A灭菌剂或物理、化学灭菌方法B应用灭菌剂或高效消毒剂C应用物理灭菌方法D杀灭结核杆菌的消毒剂或中、低效消毒剂E杀灭细菌繁殖体的消毒剂穿过皮肤或黏膜进入无菌的组织或器官内部的器材
患者男,44岁。车祸后L8水平以下保留运动功能,但脐以下大部分关键肌肌力小于Ⅲ级。患者ASIA脊髓损伤分级为
A.降低或减少劳动者接触职业性有害因素水平B.通过健康监护,早期发现职业损害C.对职业病患者进行及时的治疗和处理D.建立和健全组织领导机构E.引进先进的设备与工艺三级预防包括
下列关于翼下颌间隙感染的说法,错误的是
患者男,60岁。因COPD急性发作入院治疗,给予抗感染、补液、对症治疗,日输液量1000ml。今晨输液过程中,突然出现胸闷、胸骨后疼痛,继之呼吸困难、严重发绀,主诉有濒死感,听诊心前区可闻及响亮、持续的“水泡声”。护士提供的恰当的护理措施是
《中华人民共和国航道法》第三十三条规定与航道有关的工程建设活动损坏航道的,()应当予以修复或者依法赔偿。
某单位生产过程中,有如下具体安排,其中符合我国《劳动法》劳动保护规定情况的有()。
商业银行申请代销业务资格时应满足的条件之一是公司及其主要分支机构负责基金代销业务的部门取得基金从业资格的人员不低于该部门员工人数的1/2。()
甲、乙、丙三人投资设立一家有限合伙企业,甲为普通合伙人,乙和丙为有限合伙人,下列财产中,可以作为乙的出资方式的有()。
某普通合伙企业的合伙人包括有限责任公司甲、乙,自然人丙、丁。根据合伙企业法律制度的规定,下列情形中,属于当然退伙事由的是()。(2014年)
最新回复
(
0
)