经济学人:安倍经济学 女性权益该如何维护

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　　亚洲：日本的妇女和工作，我们很忙，你堕胎去吧

　　Pregnant women are furious about how they are treated at the office.

　　孕妇在职场上受到的待遇让她们感到愤怒。

　　“Abenomics is womenomics,” Japan's prime minister declared, marrying two atrocious words in a single phrase, at a glamorous² shindig called WAW! , or the “World Assembly for Women in Tokyo”, on August 28th-29th.

　　日本东京于8月28至29日举办了一场名为“世界妇女大会”(简称WAW！)的华丽盛宴。日本首相在大会上说：“安倍经济学就是女性经济学”。短短一句话把两个可怕的词串连起来。

　　Before an international audience of high-powered female leaders and businesswomen, Shinzo Abe promised to help women “shine” at work as a way to boost Japan's talent pool and economy.

　　在众多位高权重的国际女领导人和职业女性面前，安倍保证会帮助日本女性在职场上”发光发亮”，以此鼓励培养人才库，促进经济发展。

　　As the conference opened, the Diet (parliament) passed a long-awaited law calling on companies to find ways to promote more women.

　　正值大会举行之际，日本议会终于通过了人们期待已久的议案，呼吁公司企业提拔更多女职员。

　　Yet such grand visions are beside the point for most working women.

　　但对大多数职业女性而言，这般宏伟愿景意义不大。

　　Sayaka Osakabe, founder³ of a new non-profit outfit⁴ called Matahara Net, which campaigns for the rights of pregnant women at work, says that before “shining” women just need to be allowed to work without being harassed⁵.

　　“孕妇骚扰对策网”是一个致力为在职孕妇维护权益的新非盈利性组织。其创办人Sayaka Osakabe认为妇女在职场“发光发亮”之前，只要不被骚扰就已足够。

　　Matahara, (a contraction⁶ of “maternity⁷” and “harassment⁸” ) , is illegal but rife⁹.

　　“孕妇骚扰”(孕妇和骚扰的缩写)虽然是违法的行为，但随处可见。

　　The worst examples involve bosses urging pregnant women to have abortions¹⁰.

　　在最严重的情况下，上司甚至会强烈要求怀孕的女职员去堕胎。

　　One woman who now works for Matahara Net landed a prized “career-track” job at a big bank alongside her boyfriend, who worked in another department.

　　现在“孕妇骚扰对策网”的一名女职员，她曾拥有一份极好的工作，前程似锦。她跟她的男朋友分别在一间大银行的不同部门任职。

　　After she became pregnant, a manager told her he would “crush” both her own career and that of her boyfriend if she went ahead and had the baby.

　　她怀孕后，银行经理告诉她如果坚持要孩子，他会“毁”了她和她男朋友的事业。

　　In 2011 she took the hint and had an abortion.

　　在2011年，她接受了经理的暗示，堕胎了。

　　Ms Osakabe herself suffered two miscarriages¹¹.

　　Osakabe女士也曾流产过两次。

　　She says that stress caused by ill-treatment at work was partly to blame.

　　她认为流产的部分原因应归咎于工作期间在职场受到的压力。这种压力则来自职场的不公平对待。

　　Other women have had to apologise in front of co-workers for becoming pregnant.

　　有些妇女因为怀孕了，要特意到同事面前道歉。

　　Those on precarious¹² part-time contracts are particularly vulnerable to being fired while on maternity leave.

　　至于那些没有保障的兼职合约员工极有可能在休产假期间被解雇。

　　A fifth of young mothers experience some kind of office harassment, according to Rengo, Japan's biggest trade union confederation.

　　根据日本最大的工联会“连合”的调查，五分之一的年轻妈妈曾遭受过职场骚扰。

　　Part of the problem is the country's culture of pointless workaholism—office workers are expected to stay late even if they have no work to do.

　　这种问题的部分原因应当归咎于日本毫无意义可言的”工作狂“文化。即使已经完成了所有工作，员工也要继续留在办公室加班。

　　Anyone exempted¹³ from this ordeal—mothers with young children, for instance—is envied.

　　不用受加班之苦的人，例如要照顾年幼孩子的妈妈自然会招人妒忌。

　　Also, since companies seldom hire cover for women on maternity leave, colleagues have to pick up the burden.

　　而且在女员工休产假这段期间，公司很少会另外请人顶替她们，这无疑会加重其他同事的工作负担。

　　Twice as many female as male colleagues dish out verbal criticism of pregnant women.

　　在言语上批评和骚扰在职孕妇的女同事是男同事的两倍。

　　It is one reason why seven out of ten women give up their jobs on having their first child.

　　这就是为什么首次怀孕的妇女中十个有七个会选择辞职的原因之一。

　　Not all women think this is a problem.

　　并不是所有女性都对这个问题感到困扰。

　　Ayako Sono, a conservative who was once on a government panel on education, calls matahara a “dirty” expression that signifies women's overreaction to minor¹⁴ social discomforts¹⁵.

　　曾是教育事务委员会的成员之一的保守党议员Ayako Sono认为“孕妇骚扰”是“不当”的用词，这只反映出妇女在社交方面感到一点不安便反应过度。

　　Yet it is hard for the government to ignore the harassment, since it contributes to the relentless¹⁶ decline in the Japanese population, policymakers' biggest headache.

　　但是政府不能忽视“孕妇骚扰”的问题，因为 “孕妇骚扰”会导致日本人口持续减少，而这正是让决策者最为头痛的难题。

　　Women who find it hard to combine work and motherhood often forgo¹⁷ the latter.

　　当妇女难以身兼职业女性和母亲双重身份时，多数会放弃后者。

　　Last year the Supreme¹⁸ Court ruled for the first time on matahara.

　　日本最高法院去年裁定了第一宗“孕妇骚扰”个案。

　　It found in favour of a mother who had sued a medical practice in Hiroshima for demoting her.

　　一名曾任职于广岛市某医院的女性就自己因怀孕而遭降职一事入禀法院，终获胜诉。

　　This judgment¹⁹, and Mr Abe's championing of working-women's rights, have emboldened²⁰ more women to speak out.

　　这场判决加上安倍支持捍卫在职妇女权益，相信会鼓励更多女性公开表达意见。

　　Those expecting are starting to expect better treatment.

　　这些待产的女性正朝着更高的目标进发，追求更好的待遇。

　　1.be furious about 对...不满

　　例句:She was furious about our mistake.

　　她对我们的错误非常愤怒。

　　2.speak out 说出；畅所欲言

　　例句:He said other things I cannot speak out for shame.

　　他还说了些我羞于启齿的话。

　　3.in favour of 支持；赞成

　　例句:The vote was overwhelmingly in favour of the Democratic Party.

　　压倒多数的选票投给了民主党。

　　4.dish out 给予；分发

　　例句:Politicians can really dish out sweet talk.

　　政客对发表甜言蜜语很有一套。

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