[12]
The new school semester is right around the corner. Many young pupils dream of having less
homework, and it seems that for some this dream may come true. The Ministry of Education has released draft guidelines to reduce the academic burden on school pupils.
Homework may become a thing of the past for younger school pupils.
The Ministry of Education plans to lessen the heavy workload. It?s a draft policy, which includes 10 regulations.
One of the regulations states that primary schools may no longer set any form of written homework for students in grades one to six.
Instead, schools should work with parents to organize extracurricular activities and after-school assignments, including museum tours and library study.
Parents have given their reaction to the latest regulations.
\homework must be assigned to help them to understand and consolidate their knowledge.\
\activities and have more time to play. \
The draft also calls on schools to reduce the number of mandatory exams, stipulating that unified tests should not be conducted from grades one to three.
In addition, schools are being required to remove the \too much attention to scores.
Teachers should use comments including %use encouraging words to strengthen students? confidence. Reducing the school ***** on young children can help them to broaden their interests and encourage a development and a better adult life. It?s all part of China?s continuing efforts to improve its education system for the future needs of the country.
[13] Inequality for China's women at an all-time high
Women activists and NGO's say contemporary women in China face more discrimination today than 20 years ago. Despite tighter government regulations, employers and universities set stricter criterion for female candidates.
At China Women?s University, men and women are created equal. Sophomore Li Jia Jun is one man in 100 women attending the University. It?s the only campus in China with the core mission to promote gender equality.
\here but we are treated the same. We get along real well. There?s no reason for gender discrimination these days.\
Equal rights but Li says, with humor, that his female competitors are given special treatment on the courts.
Reporter: “China-based NGO Media Monitor for Women Network says that two thirds of China?s top universities still have policies that limit the proportion of women students. Many campuses set higher admission scores for female applicants. And more discrimination after graduation, says the All-China Women?s Federation.”
Zhang Jian has been teaching women?s studies and equality since the mid 1990?s. 20 years onward, she says equality of women in the workplace has gone backwards.
\ stereotyped. Employers consider them less employable than men and that their priorities would be marriage and having children.\
Reasons for a mandatory course on ?women?s studies?. China Women?s University is the only campus that makes it a graduation requirement. Zhang says this could better prepare her students for the inevitable.
China?s 2010 Census found that China?s urban employment rate for working-age women fell to 60.8 % in 2010, down from 77.4% 20 years earlier.
A study on gender discrimination in job ads found that 10% state gender preference, despite strict regulations.
The Central Government imposes fines from US$1,600 to US$4,800 against employers discriminating against applicants? nationality, race, gender and religion.
Still, discrimination is rampant.
Many women job hunters with higher qualifications tell media that their applications are rejected due to gender preference.
The Peking University found that one in four women was denied a job due to their gender.
Some say they were forced to sign contracts that barred them from marrying or getting pregnant. Others claim they got salary cuts or lost jobs for having a baby.
Unlike traditional families, student activist Zhang Zheng Lin is her father?s princess. She says China?s got some way to go with gender equality.
All China Women?s Federation found that much of China believe women should take the back seat in society.
\Education activists are hoping to promote that in the near future.
Over in politics, women?s influence has increased over the past five decades but representation is still considerably small compared to men.
The World Economic Forum?s survey says China ranks 69 in the world in gender equality, with Asian neighbor South Korea placing.
[14] Debate over gender equality in S. Korea
Does the election of South Korea?s first ever female president signal a breakthrough for the rights of women in the country, in terms of gaining equal treatment? CCTV correspondent U-Jean Jung takes a look at where women stand in today?s South Korean society.
The Republic of Korea today is a country where more female high-school graduates go to university than their male counterparts.
Professor Taehyun Kim from Dep?t of Social Welfare, Sungshin Univ. said, “80 percent of female high-school graduates enter university. This ratio is higher than male high-school students. This was unimaginable in the past. There was a time when girls weren?t allowed anywhere near schools.”
But at the same time, South Korea is still a country that ranked 108th place out of 135 countries in the World Economic Forum?s Gender Gap Index last year. That?s seven steps below Japan and 39 ranks below China.
Professor Kim says she would give South Korea?s gender equality status 70 points out a hundred. The social status of women has improved by far, but she says there are still a lot of gaps to narrow.
Professor Taehyun Kim said, “Women?s careers in South Korea are more disrupted than in any other country. South Korea has the worst gender salary gap among OECD countries.”
A little over half of the women in South Korea are economically active, but this is nowhere near the 80 percent average of OECD countries. Rene Lee, an HR manager of a multinational company in Seoul says she?s seen many women leave the workplace.
Rene Lee, HR manager, said, “It?s a pity to see women, who are great talents leave the workplace to give birth and focus on raising their children. I?ve seen many working mums have a hard time trying to find a place to feed their children, or trying to ask grandparents to look after them.”
CCTV correspondent U-Jean Jung said, \future, but these women are positive it?ll help in the long-term.\
Rene Lee said, “Girls will no longer impose limits when planning their future. Many will become aware that anything is possible for women, even becoming president.”
Professor Taehyun Kim said, “Having a female president in a society like South Korea is a revolution, and a big step forward in terms of social reform for women. There is great potential to improve gender equality in the future.”
[15] HK's career moms balance career and family pressures
Hong Kong's number of career moms seeking work-life balance is growing, but there are few to be found in the most senior ranks. Cathy Yang in Hong Kong looks into why, and what it may take to break the trend.
She?s boss at work, and mom at home. Emma Sherrard Matthew is Global C-E-O atQuintessentially, the luxury lifestyle and concierge services firm, overseeing more than 60 offices from the headquarters in Hong Kong.
Emma gave birth earlier this year to her first baby, Willa, and has since returned to work. How she does it all isn?t the question, but how she gets everyone involved to help her out.
\priority but I love what I do. I work with outstanding, incredible talent so for me, that?s always going to encourage me to want to go back into the workforce as well.\
Emma is one of the growing number of women in Hong Kong who have achieved senior positions and opted to carry on with it even after childbirth, helping create gender diversity in the city?s male-dominated corporate work place.
Women in Hong Kong now represent more than 50 percent of graduates from universities, and in many professions, they make up 50 percent or more of the graduate intake.
But these figures come down in more senior organizational ranks, as women either fail to get promoted into senior positions, or decide altogether to quit their jobs, reveals Ernst & Young?s Anne-Marie Balfe.
“Some of our women are dropping out because they have family pressures, some want to pursue you know whether it?s more of a work-life balance or want to pursue other careers.”
Reporter: “While there are more companies in Hong Kong committed to improving women?s status, the task of achieving gender balance at the work place still has a ways go. And it will depend largely on the women themselves, on their commitment to helping other women as well as engaging men to becoming part of the solution.” Anne-Marie Balfe said.
“Men network extremely well internally within their organizations. Women network quite well outside of their organizations. So for a professional women?s network within your organization, it?s really beneficial to have your men included as well.” Anne-Marie Balfe said.
As for Emma, it?s teamwork at home taking care of Willa. While they?ve hired for full-time help, it?s still daddy calling the shots at home when Emma?s out on business.
[16]Staying at home dads/Meet Mr. Mom 2?36
And this morning at today?s family, daddy daycare. For decades, the playground in this country was always moms and their kids. Well, now a new crowd is moving in. It?s the dads NBC?s Don Teegy has more.
In a lot of ways, the morning scramble of this suburban Austin Home of Magan Raglouse is just like millions of other homes. There are children to feed and dress, and a workday to begin. But in this home, it?s not Rick who is rushing off to the office. It is Megan, leaving the full time job of caring for the kids to their dad.
Rick Lucas: “This is our solution to a problem that a lot of families have. And it is not forced upon us, you know, we have chosen this.
For Megans, the choice was simple, she makes more money than he did, and daycare costs a fortune. Mrs Lucas: I have more amount of time, I have better benefits, and so it just makes more sense. So, four years ago，Rick quit his 35,000 thousand-dollar-a-year job to do this full-time. He also cooks, does the laundry and grocery shopping, even takes the kids to playgroup, tasks once considered women?s work.
Rick Lucas: “I never really saw anything masculine about working at a computer in an office. So, when I made that transition to home, you know. I didn?t really feel like I was less a man”.
Just a few years ago, the idea of men giving up their careers to raise the children might have raised a few eye brows.
But times have changed, today, the number of stay-at-home dad is rising fast. In four years. The number of fathers staying at home with the kids has risen 60% and Doctor Awho studies the trends says dads love it.
“These guys are doing well. They?re happy with the roles. They?re not particular influenced by some stigma still might be out there. Nothing Hollywood has helped matters，movies like Mr. Mom had poked fun at men?s parenting skills but times are changing. At this Austin playground, the children work for playground while fathers talk sports.
“We?re really lucky to be in a generation that allows that and expects that, you know, father needn?t do the delivery work”.
Today more than a quarter of working women make more money than their husbands allowing more men to discover raising kids is also a full time job.
[17] teenagers can have credit cards.
No one is suggesting every teen should get a credit card because there are some
serious consequences if they a make mistake early in life especially with this thing, credit file. But the study does challenge the conventional wisdom that young borrowers are bad borrowers. Raise the issue that they are not as bad as we all assumed.
The best way to give your kid credit cards early in life is make them authorized users on your card. They get their own cards but the statements come back to you. You know what is going on. You see what's going. You could always cut them off any time you want. But they get their own credit history. They start to build up that all-important file early in life. A lot of parents want to give their kids debit cards.
