Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
| A.post B.pressure C.paid D.negotiating E.abandon F.balance G.average H.entitled I.increasingly J.reluctantly |
Most women in France work. Their average salary is about 75% that of their male co-workers, even though laws passed in 1972 require “professional equality” between the sexes.
The good news is that women are __1__moving into middle management, but a handful are to top executives. The higher their position, the harder it is to __2__family and career. A 38-year-old woman who graduated from the National school of Administration remembers that when she took a senior __3__in a ministry, her male colleagues assured her,” you are one of us, one of the guys”. But when she became a mother, she found it difficult to stick to age-old traditions of being a housewife. Meanwhile, she couldn’t follow the office schedule. “It was too much__4__ to have long lunches and late-night meetings.”, she said.
For those who want to balance family with a job, France is a heaven. Women marry later, on __5__, than in America - at age 25. They stay in the workforce, and part-time jobs are easy to find. Maternity(孕产) benefits are generous, with over six months of __6__ leave. Women who’ve raised three or more children are __7__to get a state-funded pension, and the quality of publicly funded education for children is high.
French businesswomen dress elegantly, argue intelligently and play hardball at the __8__table. They show their wit, intellect, ability to make puns and understanding of politics, history and literature. Unlike most American female executives who dress conservatively in a dark, not particularly flattering suit, with no jewelry and little makeup, Frenchwomen see no need to __9__femininity(妇女特质) and elegance in the business world. They prefer soft colors, stylish clothes, silk scarves, light makeup, and simple but elegant jewelry.