Concept of Family in Modern World
Two social scientists are talking over the Concept of Family in modern China, one British, the other Chinese. You have been asked to be their interpreter. B: As outcomes of government policies, industrialization and urbanization, family life in China has changed extensively since 1949. What trends are the marriage and family life taking in China's urban regions? C: 总的来看,小型家庭越来越多,过去那种一家人四世同堂的情况已经很少了。现在还有越来越多的人选择晚结婚,选择单身或者不要孩子的人也比以前多了,也就是建立所谓的“丁克”家庭。 B: Statistics indicates that China's divorce rate has soared since the 1990s, though it is lower than the world average. What are the reasons for this? C: 原因总是多方面的,但是有一点可以肯定,那就是随着生活水平的提高,人们更追求婚姻质量了。更多的人已经不再认为离婚是一种耻辱,传统观念的作用越来越小了。 B: You mentioned people's choice of remaining unmarried earlier, is this a result of the high divorce rate? I mean, with the current situation, do young people still consider marriage their ultimate desire? C: 北京最近作过一项调查,有两千多名16岁到35岁的青年参加了这项调查,他们当中60%的人认为他们还是会选择结婚,而不是单身,只有8.2% 的被调查者表示了相反的意见。 B: What then can be considered to have brought about the current growing trend of the DINK family? Do people no longer think along the traditional view of "more sons, more blessings"? C: 在上海进行的同样一项调查中,对子女的培养被认为是目前家庭中的一个最大的压力,有47.2%的人都是这样认为的,这主要是指经济上的压力。 B: As nuclear families are increasing, do young people still feel responsible for supporting and assisting their parents? C: 以上所提到的两项调查中都有95% 以上的人仍然认为不管是否已经结婚,他们都应该负担起养老的责任。 |