Give arguments for and against the following statements. Discuss them. For further ideas and information read the supplementary texts at the end of the Unit.

· A lot of careers and job opportunities are still heavily based on gender.

· A mother’s place is in the home.

· The main “killer” of marriage is the development of personality.

· The majority of love marriages end up in failures.

· It is a good wife who makes a good husband.

· The high rate of divorce reflects the true level of marital breakdown and women’s independence.

· It is time to tighten the divorce law.

· Women are really second-rate citizens and should be treated as such.

· An arranged marriage is the key to family happiness.

· Men need liberation too.

 

Role-play.

1. Imagine that you are a member of the organising committee of an international Women’s conference. Write down the problems to be raised and discussed at the conference. Exchange your opinions with the other members of the group.

2. Role-play this conference, electing the chairperson and the spokespeople in the problems you are going to discuss.

 

 

Writing

 

Write a report to be made at an international conference about the status of women in your country.

2. Make up a list of arguments and counter- arguments to be used in a talk-show “Gender equality: myth or reality?”

Write a letter to the editor of the magazine that published the article “The qualities to look for in a wife”. Support the author’s viewpoint or criticize him and the editor for publishing this article.

Imagine you are a social worker. Write a newspaper article under the heading “Women and Work” in which you outline your reasons why women with babies should/should not be in the workforce.

 

 

Words connected with the theme of the unit

 

abuse n	human rights abuse, sexual abuse
abstain v	to ~ from sth
abstinence n	~ from drinking
abstention n	~ from voting
access n	~ to sth
anticipate v
allude to v
assail v	assailant
aspire v
benefit n	maternity ~
bind v	~ing force
blatant adj	~ discrimination
brainwash v	to be ~ed into sth
cast v	to ~ down the eyes to ~ away
castigate v
chastity n
charge v, n	to ~ sb with sth; on a ~
cling v	to ~ to one’s supremacy
conduct n, v
conscientious adj
consume v	time ~ing chores; ~er goods
contempt n	to hold in ~
counsel n, v
denounce sth v	to ~ human rights violations
disagreeable adj
dowry n
drudgery n
due n, adj, adv	to give sb his ~; in ~ time; ~ to
entitle to v
excellence n
flog v	to ~ a dead horse
hostile adj
humiliate v
incredulous adj
infanticide n
ingrain v

 

insipid adj
levity n
marital adj	~ status, ~ success
matrimonial adj
menial adj
mutilate v	genital mutilation
preposterous adj
prudent adj
quibble n
rebel v
retreat v, n	humiliating ~s, to ~ into one’s thoughts
rivet v
romance n
romp about, around v
share out v	to ~ household chores
shirk v	to ~ housework
scholastic adj
skyrocket v
shun v
stigma n	a ~ to …
sneer at v
steer towards v	to ~ a middle course
subservient adj
victimize v	victimization of women
wry adj	a ~ smile

Phrases

 

to be down in the dumps	matrimonial mates
to make sth from scratch	marriage for convenience
non-crease (wash-and-go) fabrics	trial separation
to work at many jobs	flexible work hours
child rearing	to turn over paychecks
day care (child-minding) centre	a home-maker
to be run down	marriage has many pitfalls
to be housebound	a raiser of children
behind the kitchen sink	to contribute to the family budget
to pull in one’s belt	the finances are touch-and-go
inferiority complex	means of self-fulfilment

 

domestic violence	to feel unfulfilled
sex role stereotypes	to be entitled to a (un)paid maternity leave
high death rate	from cradle to grave
to step out of the male shadow into the spot-light
HIV positive
to champion freedom/women’s rights
to contract a disease
to boss sb around
equal footing

Supplementary Texts

 

 

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