TEXT E Some futurologists have
assumed that the vast upsurge of women in the workforce may portend a rejection
of marriage. Many women, according to this hypothesis, would rather work than
marry. The converse of this concern is that the prospects of becoming a
multi-paycheck household could encourage marriages. In the past, only the
earnings and financial prospects of the man counted in the marriage decision.
Now, however, the earning ability of a woman can make her more attractive as a
marriage partner. Data show that economic downturns tend to postpone marriage
because the parties cannot afford to establish a family or are concerned about
rainy days ahead. As the economy rebounds, the number of marriages also
rises. Coincident with the increase in women working outside the
home is the increase in divorce rates, Yet, it may be wrong to jump to any
simple cause-and-effect conclusions. The impact of a wife’s work on divorce is
no less cloudy than its impact on marriage decisions. The realization that she
can be a good provider may increase the chances that a working wife will choose
divorce over an unsatisfactory marriage. But the reverse is equally
plausible. Tensions grounded in financial problems often play a
key role in ending a marriage. Given high unemployment, inflationary problems
and slow growth in real earnings, a working wife can increase household income
and relieve some of these pressing financial burdens. By raising a family’s
standard of living, a working wife may strengthen her family’s financial and
emotional stability. Psychological factors also should be
considered. For example, a wife blocked from a career outside the home may feel
caged in the house. She may view her only choice as seeking a divorce. On the
other hand, if she can find fulfillment through work outside the home, work and
marriage can go together to create a stronger and more stable union.
Also, a major part of women’s inequality in marriage has been due to the
fact that, in most cases, men have remained the main breadwinners. With higher
earning capacity and status occupations outside of the home comes the capacity
to exercise power within the family. A working wife may rob a husband of being
the master of the house. Depending upon how the couple reacts to these new
conditions, it could create a stronger equal partnership or’ it could create new
insecurities. One reason why women with no career may seek a divorce is that ______.
A．they feel that they have been robbed of their freedom B．they are afraid of being bossed around by their husbands C．they feel that their partners fail to live up to their expectations D．they tend to suspect their husbands’ loyalty to their marriage