INTERVIEW WITH FARNSWORTH: Gender inequality at home and in the workplace

Here are some words and expressions from the interview with Farnsworth printed in bold and given in the context in which you will hear them. They are followed bv definitions.

a pay disparity: difference in pay

The changes in the last twenty years have been relatively modest: not veiy large or important

Ninety percent of my colleagues are women: coworkers

both the CEO and his boss: chief executive officer – one of the most important positions in a company

Men are raised with a sense of entitlement: a feeling that they deserve the best opportunities

if they are divorced and have custody: legal responsibility for a child

Women just assume that they can do it: feel that they can do it even though they haven’t done it before

I joined a playgroup with my son: a group of mothers and/or fathers that meets so that their children can play together

Re wasn’t really an active parent: a parent who is physically involved in caring for liis or her children

ANSWERING TRUE/FALSE QUESTIONS

When answering true/lalse questions, read all parts of each statement carefully.

Some parts of a statement may be true, but if any part of it is false, then the whole statement is false. Pay special attention to statements with negatives in them. These statements are often tricky. Remember that a negative statement drat is correct is true.

1 Read the following statements before you listen to the interview with

Farnsworth.

1 Farnsworth believes that there is real equality between men and women now.

2 Women make as much money as men do, so the “pay disparity” that used to exist doesn’t exist anymore.

3 Farnsworth believes that the glass ceiling exists because at his job most of the higher paid positions are held by men.

4 Farnsworth believes that there is much more equality between the sexes at home. Men and women tend to share the housework.

5 Farnsworth wishes he had been more active in raising his Farnsworth

children. He thinks he should have helped out more when they were babies

with tasks like giving them a bottle at night and cooking.

___ 6 Farnsworth says that when divorced men get custody of their children, they

often don’t feel that they can take good care of the children.

___ 7 When his son was small, Farnsworth joined a children’s playgroup. He was

the only man involved in this activity.

Now listen to the interview. Write T (true) or F (false) next to each of the statements in step

Compare answers with a partner and then with the class. Correct the false statements together.