2016考研英語最新時文閱讀：美國產假制度

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今天我們為考研學子推介的2016考研英語閱讀文章是關于美國產假制度的話題。美國是目前發達國家中唯一沒有實施法定帶薪產假制度的國家。雖然Family & Medical Leave Act《家庭與醫療休假法》規定了12周不帶薪的休假，據說也只有不到20%的人能享受到。一起來看一下具體內容：

Only two countries in the advanced world provide no guarantee for paid leave from work to care for a newborn child. Last spring one of the two, Australia, gave up the dubious distinction by establishing paid family leave starting in 2011. I wasn't surprised when this didn't make the news here in the United States—we're now the only wealthy country without such a policy.

本來在發達國家中，只有兩個國家沒有提供法定帶薪休假，但是自2011年春天澳大利亞放棄了這一政策以來，美國是目前發達國家中唯一沒有實施法定帶薪產假制度的國家了，這個“驚人”的消息在美國并沒有被報道出來，我一點也不感到稀奇。

The United States does have one explicit family policy, the Family and Medical Leave Act, passed in 1993. It entitles workers to as much as 12 weeks' unpaid leave for care of a newborn. In fact, every step of the way, as Democratic leaders have tried to introduce work-family balance measures into the law, business groups have been strongly opposed.

雖然早在1993年，美國就有一項特殊的產假制度：《家庭與醫療休假法》，規定了12周不帶薪的休假，但是來自商界團體的聲音一直反對更近一步的產假制度，認為這損害了公司的利益。

As Yale law professor Anne Alstott argues, justifying parental support depends on defining the family as a social good that, in some sense, society must pay for. In her book, she argues that parents are burdened in many ways in their lives: there is "no exit" when it comes to children. "Society expects parents to provide their children with continuity of care, meaning the intensive, intimate care that human beings need to develop their intellectual, emotional and moral capabilities.

耶魯大學的教授安娜認為，家庭是社會的基石，兒童是社會的希望。家庭養育新生兒是在為社會做貢獻，所以一定程度上政府應該承擔責任，對家庭做出相應的補償。在幫助家庭迎接新生命的過程中，政府在法規和政策保障上責無旁貸，個體亦有推動改變的空間和責任。

In fact, by some estimates, the value of parental investments in children, investments of time and money (including lost wages), is equal to 20-30% of gross domestic product. If these investments generate huge social benefits—as they clearly do—the benefits of providing more social support for the family should be that much clearer.

實際上，父母在照顧孩子上的投入大約占到國內生產總值的20-30%，這些投入對社會產生了相當大的利益，所以政府也應對此提供一些相應的配套政策。但是美國自1993年推出《家庭與醫療休假法》之后，在保障家庭的政策上沒有其他重大進展，令人遺憾。小編提醒大家，泛讀的學習重在拓展知識面，多了解文化背景信息，這對我們的2016考研英語大有裨益。祝大家夢想成真!