【新闻精讲】

Gender budgeting is not new. Feminist economists have argued for it since the 1980s. A few countries, such as Australia and South Africa, took it up, though efforts waxed and waned with shifts in political leadership—it is seen as left-wing and anti-austerity. The Nordic countries were pioneers in the West; Sweden, with its self-declared “feminist government”, may be the gold standard. Now, egged on by the World Bank, the UN and the IMF, more governments are taking an interest. They should sign on as the results are worth having.
Partly because South Korea invested little in social care, women had to choose between having children, which lowers labour-force participation, or remaining childless, which reduces the country’s fertility rate. Gender budgeting showed how, with an ageing population, the country gained from spending on care. Rwanda found that investment in clean water not only curbed disease but also freed up girls, who used to fetch the stuff, to go to school. Ample research confirms that leaving half a country’s people behind is bad for growth. Violence against women; failing to educate girls properly; unequal pay and access to jobs: all take an economic toll.
Inevitably there are difficulties. Dividing a policy’s costs and benefits between men and women can be hard. Sometimes, as with lost hours of school, the costs have to be estimated. Redesigning the budgeting process upends decades of practice. If every group pressing for change took the same approach, it would become unmanageable. In a way, though, that is the point. Governments find it easy to pay lip-service to women’s rights. Doing something demands tough choices.

【精讲文本】
Gender budgeting is not new. Feminist economists have argued for it since the 1980s. A few countries, such as Australia and South Africa, took it up, though efforts waxed and waned with shifts in political leadership—it is seen as left-wing and anti-austerity. The Nordic countries were pioneers in the West; Sweden, with its self-declared “feminist government”, may be the gold standard. Now, egged on by the World Bank, the UN and the IMF, more governments are taking an interest. They should sign on as the results are worth having.
性别预算并不是新鲜事物。女权主义经济学家自上世纪80年代以来就在为之呼号。一些国家例如澳大利亚和南非等已采纳这种方法，不过为之付出的努力因权力更迭而遭遇起伏——性别预算被视为一种左派和反紧缩的行为。在西方，北欧国家是这方面的先行者，其中自诩“女权主义政府”的瑞典也许堪称典范。在世界银行、联合国以及国际货币基金组织的鼓动下，如今已有更多的政府对性别预算产生了兴趣。它们确实应该参与到这一实践中，因为它带来的成果会非常值得。
argue v.主张
take up 继续
- I took up where I had left off.
wax and wane v.兴衰
shift n.改变
anti-austerity 反紧缩
- austerity n.节约
- austere adj.节制的，简单的
Nordic adj.北欧的
pioneer n.先锋
egg v.煽动，怂恿 (incite to action)

Partly because South Korea invested little in social care, women had to choose between having children, which lowers labour-force participation, or remaining childless, which reduces the country’s fertility rate. Gender budgeting showed how, with an ageing population, the country gained from spending on care. Rwanda found that investment in clean water not only curbed disease but also freed up girls, who used to fetch the stuff, to go to school. Ample research confirms that leaving half a country’s people behind is bad for growth. Violence against women; failing to educate girls properly; unequal pay and access to jobs: all take an economic toll.
从前，某种程度上因韩国在社会照护方面投入甚少，该国女性不得不在生与不生孩子之间做选择；前者会降低劳动力参与度，后者则会降低国家的生育率。性别预算表明，这个人口日趋老龄化的国家因对社会关怀的投入而获益。卢旺达政府发现，投资于洁净水不仅可以遏制疾病，还可将女孩们从取水的劳动中解放出来，让她们去上学。有充足的研究证实，不顾任何一国的一半人口、将她们抛诸脑后，都会对经济增长产生负面影响。女性遭受暴力对待、女孩未能获得像样的教育、薪酬与工作机会不均等——这些问题都会造成经济损失。
childless adj.无子女的
fertility n.生育，繁殖
ageing adj.老化的
curb v.限制
free up 释放
fetch v.取
ample adj.充足的
properly adv.合适地，像样地
toll n.损失，代价 (a grievous price)
- Inflation has taken its toll.

Inevitably there are difficulties. Dividing a policy’s costs and benefits between men and women can be hard. Sometimes, as with lost hours of school, the costs have to be estimated. Redesigning the budgeting process upends decades of practice. If every group pressing for change took the same approach, it would become unmanageable. In a way, though, that is the point. Governments find it easy to pay lip-service to women’s rights. Doing something demands tough choices.
困难在所难免。将一项政策的成本与收益依据性别分别计算会是一道难题。有时，类似耽误上学这样的情况要付出多大的代价，只能估算出个大概。重新设计预算流程也会颠覆已执行数十年的实践。如果每一个积极寻求改变的团体都采用了这样的手段，情形就会变得难以驾驭。不过，在某种程度上，这也是意义所在。因为对政府来说，面对女性权益问题时开开空头支票太容易了。要成就某些事，就必须要做出艰难的抉择。
Inevitably adv.无可避免地
- inevitable adj.无可避免的
- evitable adj.可避免的
estimate v.估算
upend v.颠倒，颠覆 (overturn)
press for 督促
approach n.方法
unmanageable adj.难以驾驭的
pay lip-service to 口惠而实不至
- He paid lip service to blue-collar workers, but he did nothing to help them.
demand v.需求