| Level: | Topic: | Speakers: | Length: |
| intermediate | jobs and careers | man and woman | 01:35 |
Pre-Listening Exercise
What jobs are popular among men and women in your country? Are there social or cultural rules that influence what jobs people do?
Career Search
"learn the ropes" = learn how to do a specific job
"It took me a few months to learn the ropes at my new job."
"pull one's weight" = do a person's share of the work
"If you can't pull your own weight around here, the boss is going to fire you."
Listening Exercise
A. Listen to the recording and answer the questions.
The woman wants to pursue a career as ______.
Ashley: Ryan. I just want you to know that I'm going to go to school to become an auto mechanic.
Right now, the woman's boyfriend is ____.
Ashley: And James is now back in college. He's majoring in nursing.
Ryan thinks that _______.
Ryan: Nursing? Nursing? That's a woman's job?
Ryan suggests that women are more suited for jobs in _____.
Ryan: Well, most men do those jobs, so . . . Anyway, women can do them if they want. I just think that women are better suited to be secretaries, waitresses, piano teachers. You know.
At the end of the conversation, the man ends up _____.
Ryan: Oh, well, just forget this. But not to change the subject, but I'm having a problem with my car, and I was wondering if Jimmy, I mean James, could take a look at it. Ashley: Forget it. Start pushing!
Vocabulary Practice
Do the vocabulary quizzes with the words from the conversation for more practice:
Post-Listening Exercise
In the past, what kinds of jobs were mainly done by men or women (a registered nurse, a secretary, or childcare worker)? Is this still true today, or is this trend changing? What are the reasons for these changes: social, religious, or economic?
Online Investigation
Use the Internet to find out how the workplace is changing in a different country in terms of men's and women's roles and cultural diversity. Interview a classmate from a different country if possible to understand their views on this topic. Here are some possible questions to consider:
- Are women often more qualified then men to work in positions that were traditionally held by men? If so, what has caused this change?
- Are there any religious principles within certain faiths that influence the degree to which women work outside of the home?
- How do people view men who work in jobs that are often held by more women (nursing, elementary school teachers, secretaries, office clerks, etc.)?
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