年长女性仍可驰骋职场

Why? The traditional answer is discrimination. The Pew report said prejudice still played some part, although it was hard to quantify. There are, no doubt, still nomination committees that secretly believe women cannot hack it, just as there must be some top executives who are still quietly racist and homophobic.
这是为什么呢？惯常的答案是：性别歧视。佩尤的报告称，偏见仍具有一定影响，尽管它难以量化。毫无疑问，一些公司的董事任命委员会私下里依然认为，女性难成大事，就像肯定会有一些最高层管理者私下里依然是种族主义者并且憎恶同性恋一样。
　　
But that cannot be the whole answer. Attitudes have shifted. Can employers really be that much more sexist than university admission officers?
但这不可能是全部答案。人们的态度已经有所转变。雇主真的比大学招生办还重男轻女吗？
　　
The UK inequality study contains a telling detail. There is still a significant pay gap between men and women – 21 per cent – but for women in their 20s, the difference is only 6-7 per cent.
英国两性差异报告提到了一个具有说服力的细节。男女之间仍存在巨大的薪酬差距（高达21%），但对20岁出头的女性来说，这一差距却只有6-7%。
　　
Why does the gap then grow? Because of the pram in the hall. “While it is not the only factor, women's pay relative to men's declines not just at the moment of first becoming a mother, but through most of the first child's childhood,” the report said. Mothers work less and stay away from the long-hours tasks that win promotion.
那么，薪酬差距为什么会扩大？原因在于门厅里的婴儿车。“虽然这不是唯一的因素，但是，女性薪酬相对男性薪酬的下降，不仅发生在她们刚当上妈妈的时候，而且贯穿第一个孩子童年的大部分时间，”报告称。妈妈们工作减少，不再接手耗时长久的任务，也就少了晋升的机会。
　　
There have been attempts to keep mothers' careers on track. The UK government announced last week that it planned to allow mothers to transfer the last six months of their maternity leave to the father, with three months of that paid.
有关方面已采取了一些措施，力求让妈妈们的职业生涯不致偏离轨道。英国政府上周宣布，拟允许妈妈们把产假最后6个月转移给当父亲的，其中3个月为带薪假期。
　　
Allen & Overy said recently that partners would be allowed to work four-day weeks and take longer holidays, following other leading London law firms such as Freshfields and Linklaters.
安理律师事务所近日表示，将允许合伙人一周工作4天并休更长时间的假。伦敦一些知名律所均已开始推行此项制度，如富而德律师事务所和年利达律师事务所。
　　
But there must be some doubt how effective these initiatives will be. The UK government has assured businesses that it expects fewer than 6 per cent of new fathers to take advantage of the additional paternity leave.
但对于这些措施有多大效果，人们肯定存在一些疑虑。英国政府表示，预计只有不到6%的新爸爸会利用这项新的陪产假，以此安抚企业界。
　　
While the lawyers' initiatives are, no doubt, sincerely meant, Louise Ashley and Janet Gaymer of Cass Business School, who have researched the impact, say the cultures of top firms do not easily lend themselves to flexible working. Clients demand instant answers and all-night sessions. One female lawyer told Ms Ashley: “The women I see who are cracking it as a partner have made that their whole lives.”
虽然上述律所推行这些措施本意良好，但卡斯商学院的路易斯•阿什利和珍妮特•盖马尔在研究了这些举措的作用后表示，顶尖公司拘泥于自身文化，不易实行灵活的工作制度。客户要求你随时待命、通宵工作。一位女律师告诉阿什利：“那些经过刻苦努力当上合伙人的女性，已经把这视作她们生命的全部。”
　　
This is the crux of it: no one, male or female, gets to the top of anything without neglecting friends and family. It is as true of reaching the chief executive suite as it is of winning an Olympic gold medal.
这正是问题的症结所在：不管是男性是女性，没有人能够在不忽视朋友和家人的情况下攀上顶峰——无论你是要爬上首席执行官的位子，还是要夺取奥运金牌。
　　
That does not mean nothing should change. Working lives no longer finish at 50, or even 60. By the time children have grown up, those highly-educated mothers still have a good few decades in them. Where are the companies smart enough to spot the opportunity?
这并不是说，我们没什么可以改变的。职业生涯不应再在50岁、甚至60岁终结。当孩子长大成人后，受过较高教育的妈妈们依然可以再干上好几十年。哪些足够聪明的公司能够发现这一机会呢？