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W11.501 Advantage & Disadvantage Level 5 Ex.1 Dilemma of The Working Mother

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11 views

W11.501 Advantage & Disadvantage Level 5 Ex.1 Dilemma of The Working Mother

Uploaded by

farzetkibuhayatiyasamadiksay
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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W11.

501
Advantage & Disadvantage
Level 5
Ex.1

Dilemma of the working mother (Article in The Observer Magazine)


Read the text below and do the tasks that follow:
Living with children is one of the few situations where virtue is rewarded. Though it sounds
intolerably priggish to say so, parents who think first what's best for the children really do have
an easier, more comfortable life than those who do what they like and make the children fit in.
The key decision is: should both parents go out to work? Dr Spock takes the standard line: if a
mother realises how vital her care is to a young baby 'it may make it easier for her to decide
that the extra money she might earn, or the satisfaction she might receive from an outside job,
is not so important after all'.
The evidence is, as usual, more confused. All research agrees on consistent loving care and a
high level of stimulation as essential ingredients in optimal child development. But there's
increasing doubt that the 24 hours a day, seven days a week mum is the best way to provide it.
Two recent, as yet unpublished, London studies have quite independently come up with the
same result: 40 per cent of mothers who stay at home with children under five are clinically
depressed, although the depression is not necessarily caused by staying at home. Dr Michael
Rutter, of the Maudsley Hospital, and Dr G. Stewart Prince, among others, have shown that
depressed mothers produce depressed, neurotic and backward children. There are many other
mothers who, without being depressed, are oppressed by the unending repetitive task of caring
for a young baby, or the unceasing chatter of a toddler, and so get less pleasure from their
children than they might.
Extra money is not to be despised. It buys automatic washers, tumble driers, dish-washers to
make life easier and give more real attention-time to the children. It buys time off excursions,
holidays. It may make the difference between a town flat and a house with a garden, a better
environment for bringing up children.
For professional women there is another difficulty. To give up or even work part-time, probably
means climbing painfully back on to the bottom rung of the ladder at 35 or 40 in galling
subordination to younger and perhaps less able men.
Assuming the still-normal situation - mother at home - there are ways to guard against the
imprisoned feeling. Any arrangement will do as long as it's regular and doesn't involve
renegotiation every time.
For instance, once a week, a completely free day and evening during which the mother is
relieved of all responsibility. She can visit friends, or go to a museum, spend all morning buying
a pair of shoes and needn't come back until she feels like it. The only rule is she must go out,
not hang around catching up on household jobs. It's best of all if combined with a regular night
out for parents together. You can employ another woman to stand in for the day, set up a
reciprocal arrangement with another family, or make it a Saturday when Father can take over -
but that's less good.
The split Saturday works well for some families. Father has morning off, Mother afternoon, to
do what they like unencumbered by children. Much nicer for them, too, than the family
shopping expedition, which soon makes small children tired and fractious. Child-free weekends
every few months are very restorative, and well worth the money. Family exchanges are fun
for older children. Advertise if you don't know a suitable family, but get well acquainted before
you go off.
A: Answer the following question by referring to the text.
What is the writer's opinion about a mother who devotes all her life to her baby?
Explain in 4-5 sentences.

B: Write a paragraph of 180-220 words about the pros and cons of a professional mother
staying at home looking after children.
Make sure:
• you write one paragraph, stay within the word limit of 200- 280 words.
• You are expected to develop your own ideas. You may also use some ideas of the writer
but not his exact words.
 you write a well organized paragraph
 all your ideas are relevant to the topic.
KEY
A:

The writer is doubtful about a complete devotion of a mother's life to baby care. He thinks this
is not the best way to provide child development. He gives recent studies as examples to prove
his point. One study, he mentions, shows that 40% of mothers who stay at home with their
young children become either depressed or feel oppressed by the repetitive tasks of childcare.
Studies also show that depressed mothers produce children with psychological problems.

B:
MODEL PARAGRAPH

The working mother quits her job to look after her child believing that her care is vital
for the development of her child. However, her decision has various pros and cons
affecting her psychology, her working career and her financial situation (topic
sentence). Although giving constant care and love for her child will certainly give the mother
the utmost satisfaction, having to deal with a very active toddler (child) may make her feel
highly depressed as it is a repetitive task. As a result, she may start to get less pleasure from her
child. Another disadvantage for a professional woman in this position is that by quitting her
job she may lose the chance of promotion. Moreover, when she returns to work, she may find
herself working under younger and less able people. The final drawback is related to finance.
As the mother will no longer earn money, she may not be able to provide a better environment
for the family. Consequently, as soon as she decides to have a family, a professional mother
faces a dilemma, whether to stay at home and care for the baby or pursue a career, both
of which have pros and cons.

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