Unlocking
Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. rear (v.) [reer] – to bring up or to raise (a child or children)
Example: All my aunt’s children are polite. It seems my aunt reared them well.
2. guilty (adj.) [gil-tee] – feeling sorry or regretful about something
Example: She felt guilty
about not attending her mother’s birthday party.
3. decade (n.) [dek-eyd] – a period of ten years
Example: Couples celebrate golden anniversaries after five decades.
4. labor-saving (adj.) [ley-ber] [sey-ving] – something that is designed to make
manual work easier
Example: A washing machine is a common labor-saving appliance.
Article
Read the text below.
A report says that almost fifty percent of mothers
think that it was easier to rear [reer] children during the
1970s and 1980s.
A study done by the Social Issues Research Center
(SIRC) shows that even though 68% of mothers nowadays work full-time or
part-time, they still play a big role in caring for their children than their
partners.
In the year 1971, some 23% of mothers are workers
and almost half of them think that they spend more time with their children
than their mothers did with them.
Today, 32% of working mothers said that they spend
over 28 hours of quality time weekly with the kids but 88% still feel guilty about
not being able to balance work and family.
Over a third of mothers today think they have less
time for themselves than their mothers did. This is one reason why the 1970s
and 1980s were seen to be the best decades for being a mom.
Seventy two percent of mothers of the said decades
felt they had more time for themselves with the help of labor-saving devices,
whereas 59% said they had partners who helped them with the household chores.
In terms of childcare, the study shows that mothers
today rely on support networks. Sixty eight percent of moms use technology,
like Skype and texting to communicate with their children.
Grandmothers are also seen to play an important
role after child birth. Mothers believe that living closer with their
mothers or mothers-in-law will help them improve the quality of their life as a
mother.
Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion
A
·
What are the things mothers do that
fathers don’t?
·
Do you think fathers can play the
role of a mother?
Discussion
B
·
What do you think are the
differences of children nowadays with the children of the past?
·
How do you usually communicate with
your parents?
