政治中的女性 ⏲️ 6分钟英语：英语精读讲义

6 Minute English from the BBC.

BBC的6分钟英语。

Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.

大家好，这是BBC英语教学的6分钟英语。

I'm Beth.

我是Beth。

And I'm Neil.

我是Neil。

Differences between men and women have existed forever,

男女之间的差异一直存在，

but in modern times imbalances in the opportunities for men and women have widened. 用詞

但在现代，男女在机会上的不平衡加剧了。

One area where this imbalance is widest is politics.

这种不平衡最明显的领域之一就是政治。

When we think of female politicians,

当我们想到女性政治家时，

the names Margaret Thatcher,

Margaret Thatcher（玛格丽特·撒切尔）、

Angela Merkel,

Angela Merkel（安吉拉·默克尔）、

Indira Gandhi,

Indira Gandhi（英迪拉·甘地）、

or Jacinda Ardern all come to mind.

或Jacinda Ardern（杰辛达·阿德恩）的名字都会浮现在脑海。

But while women make up over half the world's population, 語法

但尽管女性占世界人口的一半以上，

only 26% of the world's politicians are women.

全世界却只有26%的政治家是女性。

How much of this is because of misogyny, 講解

这其中有多少是因为厌女症，

hatred and prejudice against women?

即对女性的仇恨和偏见呢？

It seems that the surprise resignation of New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern 短語搭配

新西兰总理Jacinda Ardern突然辞职，

was partly because of the misogynistic abuse she received online. 講解

似乎部分原因就是她在网上遭到了厌女的网络暴力。

So in this program,

所以在本期节目中，

we'll be asking why is life so hard for women in politics? 表達脈絡

我们将探讨为什么女性在政界步履维艰？

And of course,

当然，

we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.

我们也会学习一些实用的新词汇。

But before that,

但在此之前，

I have a question for you,

我有一个问题要问你，

Neil.

Neil。

Britain has had three female prime ministers,

英国已有过三位女首相，

all from the Conservative Party.

都来自保守党。

First was Margaret Thatcher,

第一位是Margaret Thatcher，

who was followed in 2016 by Theresa May,

紧随其后的是2016年的Theresa May（特蕾莎·梅），

and after that by Liz Truss,

之后是Liz Truss（伊丽莎白·特拉斯），

who resigned after only a short time in office. 用詞

她在任职很短一段时间后就辞职了。

But for how long exactly was Liz Truss Prime Minister?

那么Liz Truss到底当了多久首相呢？

Was it A, 45 days?

是A，45天吗？

B, 1 year and 45 days?

B，1年零45天？

Or C, 2 years and 45 days?

还是C，2年零45天？

I think the answer is 45 days.

我想答案是45天。

Okay, Neil.

好的，Neil。

I'll reveal the answer later.

我稍后会揭晓答案。

One of the biggest barriers for female politicians 短語搭配

女性政治家面临的最大障碍之一，

is that politics has traditionally been seen as a man's world. 習語

就是政治传统上被视为男人的世界。

When Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister in 1979,

当Margaret Thatcher在1979年成为首相时，

she had to manage a group of men

她不得不管理一群男人，

who were not used to being told what to do by a woman. 語法

而这些男人并不习惯被一个女人发号施令。

Here, Professor Rosie Campbell,

在这里，Rosie Campbell教授，

Director of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership,

全球女性领导力研究所所长，

explains to BBC World Service program The Real Story,

向BBC世界服务节目《The Real Story》解释，

how Mrs. Thatcher's solution to this problem

撒切尔夫人解决这个问题的办法，

was to appear more masculine.

是如何让自己显得更男性化的。

You know,

你知道，

she was deliberately coached to change her voice 短語搭配

她刻意接受指导去改变自己的声音，

and to behave in a way that was more stereotypically masculine 用詞

并以一种更符合男性刻板印象的方式行事，

at the same time as presenting herself 短語搭配

与此同时在展示自己时，

in terms of her attire 用詞

又在穿着打扮方面，

in a very feminine way,

展现出非常女性化的一面，

which really showed the tightrope walk

这真切地展现了她如同走钢丝般的处境，

that she had to walk in order to seem strong enough to be the leader, 語法

为了显得足够坚强以胜任领导者，她不得不这么做，

but not subverting norms of what it is to be a woman. 用詞

但同时又不能颠覆作为女性的规范。

So I think,

所以我认为，

you know,

你知道，

she

她

whatever you might think of Margaret Thatcher, 語氣意圖

不管你对Margaret Thatcher怎么看，

that was a very challenging tightrope walk that she had to do. 習語

那都是一次极具挑战的走钢丝经历。

Margaret Thatcher was coached to behave more like a man,

Margaret Thatcher曾被指导表现得更像个男人，

for example,

例如，

by lowering her voice.

压低她的嗓音。

If you are coached, 語法

如果你被指导（coached），

you are specially trained in how to improve

你就是在如何提高

at a particular skill.

某项特定技能方面受到了专门的训练。

At the same time,

同时，

she was also advised to appear feminine,

也有人建议她表现得女性化，

especially in her attire,

尤其是在她的着装（attire）上，

the clothes she wore.

也就是她穿的衣服。

In trying to present both male and female sides of herself, 表達脈絡

在试图同时展现自己男性和女性的一面时，

Mrs. Thatcher walked a tightrope,

撒切尔夫人犹如走钢丝（walked a tightrope），

an idiom meaning to be in a difficult situation

这是一个习语，意思是指处于一种困难的境地，

that requires carefully considered behavior.

需要谨慎行事。

The point is that none of these demands were made of the men 講解

重点是，这些要求从未在男性身上提出过，

in Mrs. Thatcher's government.

在撒切尔夫人的政府中也是如此。

Even today,

即便是今天，

the way women in politics behave or dress

女性政治家的行为或穿着方式

is commented on and criticized far more than men, 短語搭配

受到的评论和批评依然远多于男性，

with the result that fewer women are willing to expose themselves to public scrutiny, 講解

结果是越来越少的女性愿意将自己暴露在公众审视之下，

a situation which has only got worse since the internet 語法

自从有了互联网，这种状况只会变得更糟，

and with it sexist and misogynistic abuse on social media.

随之而来的是社交媒体上对女性的性别歧视和厌女暴力。

Paradoxically, 表達脈絡

矛盾的是，

it's often said that the qualities of empathy and understanding, 語法

人们常说同理心和理解力，

often associated with women,

这些通常与女性联系在一起的特质，

are most needed in politics today. 語法

正是当今政治中最需要的。

According to former Prime Minister Helen Clark,

根据新西兰首位民选女总理，

who was New Zealand's first female elected leader,

前总理Helen Clark的说法，

it's not just that women are more caring,

不仅仅是因为女性更有爱心，

they also bring a different leadership style,

她们还带来了不同的领导风格，

as she explained to BBC World Service program The Real Story.

正如她在BBC世界服务节目《The Real Story》中所解释的那样。

I think that women

我认为女性

are known for more collaborative styles in politics, 用詞

在政治中以更具合作性的风格而闻名，

less likely to be the,

不太可能是那种，

you know,

你知道，

top-down, heavy-handed, 用詞

自上而下的，强硬的，

you know,

你知道，

my way or the highway, 習語

“不听我的就滚蛋”（唯我独尊）的作风，

more open to evidence, debate. 短語搭配

而是对证据和辩论持更开放的态度。

I think it certainly informed the way that I led. 用詞

我认为这无疑影响了我的领导方式。

I think it also informed the priorities that I had.

我觉得这也影响了我的优先事项。

Helen Clark believes women leaders are more collaborative.

Helen Clark认为女性领导者更具合作精神（collaborative）。

They prefer working cooperatively with several people to achieve a common goal.

她们更喜欢与几个人合作来实现共同目标。

She contrasts this with a stricter, more dictatorial leadership style 講解

她将此与更严格、更独裁的领导风格进行对比，

by using the expression my way or the highway,

使用了“不听我的就滚蛋”（my way or the highway）这个表达，

an idiom used as a warning that someone will only accept their way of doing things. 語法

这个习语用于警告某人只接受他们自己的做事方式。

In fact,

事实上，

adopting such dictatorial approaches has been the end of many political leaders, 講解

采取这种独裁做派已经是许多政治领导人下台的原因，

including Mrs. Thatcher and more recently, Liz Truss,

包括撒切尔夫人，以及最近的Liz Truss，

which brings me back to my question, 表達脈絡

这把我带回到了我的问题，

Neil.

Neil。

How long did Liz Truss last as Prime Minister?

Liz Truss当了多久首相？

I guess it was 45 days.

我猜是45天。

Was I right?

我猜对了吗？

That was the correct answer.

那是正确答案。

Liz Truss was Prime Minister for just 45 days, 語法

Liz Truss只当了45天首相，

the shortest premiership of any British leader ever, 語法

这是有史以来所有英国领导人中任期最短的，

male or female.

无论男女。

Okay, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned in this program on women in politics,

好的，让我们回顾一下在这个关于女性参政的节目中学到的词汇，

starting with misogyny,

首先是厌女症（misogyny），

the dislike or hatred of women.

指对女性的反感或仇恨。

If you are coached in something,

如果你在某方面被指导（coached），

you are trained or instructed in how to improve that particular skill.

你就是被训练或指示如何提高那项特定的技能。

Attire means the clothes you are wearing.

着装（Attire）指的是你穿的衣服。

If you have to walk a tightrope,

如果你必须走钢丝（walk a tightrope），

you're in a difficult situation that requires careful behavior.

你就是处于一个需要谨慎行事的困难境地。

The adjective collaborative involves several people working together for a particular purpose.

形容词合作的（collaborative）涉及几个人为了一个特定的目的而一起工作。

And finally,

最后，

the idiom it's my way or the highway

习语“不听我的就滚蛋”（it's my way or the highway）

can be used as a warning that someone will only accept their own way of doing things.

可以用来作为警告，表示某人只接受他们自己的做事方式。

Once again,

再一次，

our 6 minutes are up.

我们的6分钟到了。

See you soon.

下次见。

Bye.

拜拜。

6 Minute English from the BBC.

BBC的6分钟英语。