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經濟學人 | 90后都開始離婚了

本篇預計學習

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離婚,在有愈演愈烈之態,年年上升的離婚率,和不斷爆出的閃離事件,都很引人注目。幾年前曾流行一句話:80后不是離婚了,就是正走在離婚的路上,而今90后又成為了離婚的主力軍,情況有過之而無不及……

While the government talks up family values, marriage break-ups are soaring.

儘管政府在大力弘揚家庭觀念,離婚率卻在暴漲

【1】Divorce rates are rising quickly across China. This is a remarkable transformation in a society where for centuries marriage was universal and mostly permanent (though convention permitted men to take concubines). The trend reflects profound economic and social change. In the past 35 years, the biggest internal migration experienced by any country in human history has been tearing families apart. Traditional values have been giving way to more liberal ones. Women are becoming better educated, and more aware of their marital rights (they now initiate over half of all divorce cases). Greater affluence has made it easier for many people to contemplate living alone—no longer is there such an incentive to stay married in order to pool resources.

talk up:熱烈討論;大聲說話;坦白說話

[例句]Bob can really talk up a storm.

Bob說起話來真的可以滔滔不絕。

soaring增長,近義詞還有咆哮式增長:roaring;淹沒式增長:Flooding;爆炸式增長:booming;加速增長:accelerating;增長:increasing,rising,growing

concubines妾,妃子

[例句]His concubine, mistress chen, was visiting with her old mother.

陳姨太也回到了她的年老的母親那裡。

tearing:分裂,撕碎,扯破

affluence富裕; 富足

[例句]Pockets of affluence coexist with poverty

少數富裕地區與貧困地區並存。

contemplate沉思,深思熟慮

[例句]For a time he contemplated a career as an army medical doctor

有段時間,他考慮去當軍醫。

的離婚率增長得很快。這表明整個社會正在發生巨大改變,在過去的幾百年裡,結婚是一件很普遍且持續終生的事(儘管傳統上允許男人納妾)。過去的35年經歷了人類歷史上最大規模的遷移,這直接導致了無數家庭的分崩離析。傳統觀念讓位於更為自由的現代思想。女性受教育程度增加,也越來越意識到她們在婚姻中的權利(如今超過一半的離婚申請都是由女方提出的)。物質條件的改善讓很多人不再擔心獨自生活——不必再為共享資源而被迫綁在婚姻里。

【2】As long as both sides agree on terms, China is now among the easiest and cheapest places in the world to get a divorce. In many Western countries, including Britain, couples must separate for a period before dissolving a marriage; China has no such constraints. In 2014, the latest year for which such data exist, about 3.6m couples split up—more than double the number a decade earlier (they received a red certificate, pictured, to prove it). The divorce rate—the number of cases per thousand people—also doubled in that period. It now stands at 2.7, well above the rate in most of Europe and approaching that of America, the most divorce-prone Western country. Chongqing's rate, 4.4, is higher than America's.

constraints約束,限制,強制

[例句]Their decision to abandon the trip was made because of financial constraints

他們決定放棄這次出遊是因為財力有限。

split up:(使)離婚

certificate證明書,文憑

prone有…傾向的

[例句]For all her experience, she was still prone to nerves.

儘管有經驗,她還是容易緊張。

已經成為全世界離婚最容易也是最便宜的國家之一,只要雙方同意即可。在包括英國在內的許多西方國家,夫妻雙方離婚前必須分居一段時間,而則沒有此限制。據2014年最新統計數據顯示,約有360萬對夫妻分道揚鑣,比十年前翻了一倍還不止(離婚的人會領到離婚證並拍照)。離婚率已上升至2.7,跟同期相比也增加了一倍,該比值已經遠超歐洲,直追美國這一離婚率最高的西方國家。而重慶的離婚率則衝破了美國的平均值,高達4.4。

[3]Helped by the huge movement of people from the countryside into cities, and the rapid spread of social media, the availability of potential mates has grown with astonishing speed, both geographically and virtually. But many migrants marry in their home villages and often live apart from their spouses for lengthy periods. This has contributed to a big increase in extra marital liaisons. Married people previously had limited opportunities to meet members of the opposite sex in social situations, according to research by Li Xiaomin of Henan University. Peng Xiaobo, a divorce lawyer in Chongqing, reckons 60-70% of his clients have had affairs.

mates:(非正式)配偶

virtually無形中; 實際上,實質上,事實上,幾乎;

[例句]Virtually all cooking was done over coal-fired ranges.

差不多所有的烹飪都是在燃煤灶上進行的。

spouses配偶,夫或妻

marital:婚姻的,夫妻(間)的

liaisons:(尤指一方或雙方已婚的)私通,私情,通姦

由於人口大量從農村轉移至城市,再加上社交媒體的興起,在不同地域或不同年齡段內找到另一半的幾率已經比從前大得多。但很多背井離鄉的打工者都是先在家鄉結婚,然後再和配偶長期分居,因此婚外情的現象越來越普遍。河南大學的李曉敏研究表示,已婚人士在之前的社會條件下遇到異性的機會很有限。重慶的離婚律師彭小波也表示,他的客戶中有60%~70%的人都有過外遇。

[4]Such behavior has led to much soul-searching. The notion that 「chopsticks come in pairs」 is still prevalent; Propaganda posters preach Confucian-style family virtues using pictures of happy, multi-generation families. Many commentators in the official media talk of separation as a sign of moral failure; they fret that it signifies the decline of marriage, and of family as a social unit—a threat, as they see it, to social stability and even a cause of crime. The spread of 「Western values」 is often blamed.

prevalent流行的;盛行的;普遍的

Propaganda宣傳,宣傳運動

[例句]The Front adopted an aggressive propaganda campaign against its rivals.

該陣線採用激進的宣傳手段對付它的對手。

preach宣揚,說教

Confucian孔子的,儒家的,儒學的

commentators(電台的)時事評論員,實況廣播報導員;註解者,註釋者; 評論員,解說員

[例句]A. M. Babu is a commentator on African affairs.

A.M.巴布是一位非洲事務評論員。

fret:苦惱,煩惱,發愁

signify意味,預示,表示…的意思

[例句]The contrasting approaches to Europe signified a sharp difference between the major parties

對歐洲截然不同的態度表明兩大政黨間存在巨大差異。

此舉也給人們帶來了深思。熟語「筷子成雙成對,永不分離」一直深入人心。媒體也用四世同堂的和美家庭圖畫來倡導傳統儒家家庭美德。官方論及離婚,通常認為是道德風氣敗壞所致。他們擔憂這標誌著婚姻與家庭作為社會組成的意義大幅銳減——正如他們所能預見的,離婚對於社會的穩定性以及犯罪都是一大威脅。這些也常歸咎於「西方價值觀」的「泛濫」。

[5]But marriage is not losing its lustra. In most countries, rising divorce rates coincide with more births out of wedlock and a fall in marriage rates. China bucks both these trends. Remarriage is common too. The Chinese have not fallen out of love with marriage—only with each other.

lustra(古羅馬每五年人口普查后舉行的)驅邪儀式,(古羅馬的)人口普查,五年時間(lustrum的複數),(古羅馬每五年人口普查后舉行的)驅邪儀式,(古羅馬的)人口普查,五年時間( lustrum的名詞複數 )

wedlock結婚生活,婚姻,結婚的狀態

[例句]Children born out of wedlock enjoy the same right of inheritance as children born in lawful wedlock.

非婚生子女享有與婚生子女同等的繼承權。

bucks抵抗;抵制;反抗

但是婚姻並未失去它的魅力。在大多數國家,與飆升的離婚率併發的還有婚外生子率的增加、結婚率的下降。卻違背了這兩種趨勢。再婚現象也司空見慣。人並沒有失去對婚姻之愛,只是他們不再愛對方而已。

[6]It is tradition itself that is partly to blame for rising divorce rates. China's legal marriage age for men, 22, is the highest in the world. But conservative attitudes to premarital relationships result in Chinese youths having fewer of them than their counterparts in the West (they are urged to concentrate on their studies and careers, rather than socialize or explore). Living together before marriage is still rare, although that is changing among educated youngsters. People still face social pressure to marry in their 20s. Their inexperience makes it more than usually difficult for them to select a good partner.

premarital婚前的

[例句]I rejected the teaching that premarital sex was immoral.

我反對宣揚婚前性行為不道德的說教。

counterparts職能(或地位)相當的人

youngsters年輕人,(尤指)少年,兒童

inexperience缺乏經驗,不成熟

不斷攀升的離婚率部分是由傳統觀念本身所致。男性的法定結婚年齡是22歲(世上最大的婚齡)。但是年輕人對待婚前關係持保守態度,這就造成與西方的同齡人相比,他們中已婚的反倒還要少些(他們被迫關注於自己的學習與事業,而不是去與異性接觸、交往)。婚前同居試婚仍舊罕見,儘管在一些受過教育的年輕人當中這一趨勢日益改變。20多歲的未婚青年還面臨著社會輿論壓力。再加上,他們經驗不足,更難找到好的靈魂伴侶。

[7]Couples' ageing relatives are part of the problem too. Yan Yunxiang of the University of California, Los Angeles, says 「parent-driven divorce」 is becoming more common. As a result of China's one-child-per-couple policy (recently changed to a two-child one), many people have no siblings to share the burden of looking after parents and grandparents. Thus couples often find themselves living with, or being watched over by, several—often contending—elders. Mr Yan says the older ones' interference fuels conjugal conflict. Sometimes parents urge their children to divorce their partners as a way to deal with rifts.

siblings兄弟姐妹

[例句]His siblings are mostly in their early twenties

他的兄弟姐妹大多二十齣頭。

contend競爭,爭奪

interference干涉,干擾

fuels給…加燃料,給…加油

conjugal婚姻的,夫妻之間的

[例句]The gens attempted to uproot the entire conjugal system of the period by its direct action.

氏族組織曾打算採取直接行動根除這個時期流行的整個同居制度。

rifts: 裂隙;不和;分裂

夫婦的老年親屬也是他們離婚的誘因之一。來自洛杉磯加利佛尼亞大學的閻雲翔指出「父母促使的離婚案件」也越來越常見。的獨生子女政策造成許多人沒有兄弟姐妹來分擔照顧父母與祖父母的重擔。因此夫妻常常與多個(通常是相互不和的)長輩同住或者受到他們的監視。閻雲翔稱長輩的干擾會給夫妻間的衝突火上澆油。甚至有時父母會迫使他們的子女與另一半離婚以解決家庭的矛盾衝突。

[8]Women are more likely to be the ones who suffer financially when this happens. Rising divorce rates reflect the spread of more tolerant, permissive values towards women, but legislation tends to favour men in divorce settlements. A legal interpretation issued in 2003 says that if a divorce is disputed, property bought for one partner by a spouse's parents before marriage can revert to the partner alone. That usually means the husband's family: they often try to increase their child's ability to attract a mate by buying him a home.

permissive放任的,容許的,寬大的,自由的

settlements

:結算; 解決( settlement的名詞複數 );金錢或財產的轉讓(契約)

[例句]He urged employers and trade unions to adapt their pay settlements to the economic circumstances.

他敦促僱主和工會根據經濟條件調整工資方案。

interpretation解釋,說明,闡釋

disputed辯論,爭論

revert恢復,重提

而當夫妻離婚時,更易遭受經濟重創的一方是女性。攀升的離婚率也反映了社會對女性更為包容的價值觀,但是司法體系更照顧離婚案件中男性的利益。2003年頒布的新婚姻法解釋指出如果有離婚糾紛,婚前由一方父母出資為子女購買的不動產會被認定為夫妻一方的個人財產。這通常意味著男方家庭會努力購置房屋以增加他們求偶的吸引力。

[9]In 2011 the Supreme Court went further. It ruled that in contested cases (as about one-fifth of divorces are), the property would be considered that of one partner alone if that partner's parents had bought it for him or her after the couple had got married. In addition, if one partner (rather than his or her parents) had bought a home before the couple wed, that person could be awarded sole ownership by a divorce court. This ruling has put women at a disadvantage too: by convention they are less often named on deeds.

Supreme Court :最高法院

wed:與…結婚

awarded:給予;判給

sole:唯一的,單獨的,專有的

convention: 習俗,慣例,常規

deeds行為,行動,事迹

[例句]His heroic deeds were celebrated in every corner of India.

他的英勇事迹在印度各地廣為傳頌。

2011年,最高法院又進一步裁定如果婚後一方父母為子女出資購買不動產,該不動產應被認定為夫妻一方個人財產。另外,如果婚前一方(而不是一方的父母)購買的房產,那麼該房產應歸購買房產者(產權登記者)一人所有。這樣的判決也使女性處於不利地位:依照規約而言,她們在家庭里的苦勞、功勞不再像以前那麼被看重。

[10]In practice, if the couple has children the person with custody often keeps the home—more often the mother. Yet the court's interpretation sets a worrying precedent for divorced women. Their difficulties may be compounded by the two-child policy, which came into effect on January 1st. If couples have two children and both partners want custody, judges often assign parents one child each. Marriage and the family are still strong in China—but children clearly lie in a different asset class.

custody監管; 拘留,羈押; 撫養權,監護權

[例句]I'm going to go to court to get custody of the children

我將起訴,要求獲得孩子們的監護權。

precedent:先例,前例

compounded 混合,組合

assign分配

事實上,如果夫妻有小孩,有監護權的一方一般享有房屋——通常是指母親。然而依照最高法院頒布的解釋,這項判例令離異女性處境堪憂。此外,一月一日開始生效的二孩政策又加劇了她們的困境。如果夫妻有兩個小孩,而雙方都要監護權,那麼法官通常會判決雙方分別撫養一個小孩。婚姻與家庭觀念在依舊很強——但是孩子很明顯地又是另一項資產。

我們應該辯證的看待離婚率上升這個問題,一方面,現在個體更加自由,選擇空間增大,婚姻沒有必要為了維持而維持,年輕人放棄不合適的婚姻未必是壞事,女性也因此一定程度上得以逃脫家庭暴力等問題的壓迫和欺凌。但是另一方面,頻發的閃離等事件也暴露了一些問題,年青一代對婚姻的認知可能並不正確,獨身子女長大后往往沒有學會足夠的包容。年輕情侶應該在婚姻問題上更加謹慎,避免盲目結婚後又匆匆離婚造成的傷害。

編排 / 校對:Angel

本次文章翻譯來源於聽力課堂網

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