GMAT阅读冲750 Test 6 passage 4单词、词组预习，文章翻译

(资料图片仅供参考)

(This passage is adapted from an article written in 1990.)

Line Research data indicate that there is a great deal of poverty in the United States among single-parent families headed by women. This problem could result from the fact that women’s wages are only 

(5) 60 percent of men’s. Some economists believe that rigorous enforcement of existing equal pay laws would substantially decrease this wage inequity. But equal pay laws are ineffectual when women and men are concentrated in different occupations because such 

(10) laws require only that women and men doing the same jobs be paid the same.

Since gender concentration exists (for example, 80 percent of clerical workers are women), other economists argue that a comparable worth standard, which would mandate that women 

(15) and men in any jobs that require comparable training and responsibility be paid the same, should be applied instead. But some policy analysts assert that, although comparable worth would virtually equalize male and female wages, many single-parent families headed by 

(20) women would remain in poverty because many men earn wages that are below the poverty line. These policy analysts believe that the problem is not caused primarily by wage inequity but rather by low wages coupled with single parent hood, regardless of sex. As a solution, they 

(25) challenge the government’s assumption that a family’s income should depend primarily on wages and urge the government to provide generous wage supplements (child and housing allowances) to single-parents whose wages are low. 

(本文摘自1990年的文章)

调查数据显示,在美国由妇女持家的单亲家庭存在着大量贫困现象。这个问题的根源可能是妇女工资仅仅是男性工资的60%。一些经济学家认为,有力执行现有的平等工资法将切实减少工资不平等现象。但当男女从事不同职业时,平等工资法是无效的,因为这样的法律要求只有女性和男性做相同的工作才可以有相同的报酬。因为存在性别集中现象(如80%的文职是女性),其他经济学家认为应执行一个可比较的价值标准,即要求无论男女做什么工作,当需要相似的培训和相似的责任时,都得到同等的报酬。

但一些政策分析家认为,虽然可比价值确实会使男女工资平等,但很多由妇女持家的单亲家庭仍旧贫困,因为很多男性的工资都低于贫困线。这些政策分析家认为,这个问题并非主要来自工资不平等,而是单亲父母(无论性别)的工资本身就低。作为解决方案,他们挑战政府的假设,即家庭收入主要取决于工资,敦促政府向低工资单亲家庭提供慷慨的工资补助(如儿童和房屋津贴)。