Interactions 2 Reading, 4/e

Elaine Kirn
Pamela Hartmann

The Media

Distinguishing Fact from Opinion

Write F before the statements that are facts, according to what is stated or implied in the
reading. Write O before the statements that are (or may be) the opinions of writers or
speakers.

The Bachelor

"The Bachelor" will be broadcast on Monday nights at 9:00.

The bachelor is successful, funny, and athletic.

New Downtown Hot Spot

The lounge is lively and inviting.

Agua is located downtown.

The grilled pork with onion compote and cumin-spiced sweet

potatoes is unconvincing.

Racial Profiling in Cincinnati

The Cincinnati police have treated black residents unfairly.

There is a lawsuit against the Cincinnati police.

UConn Women Finish Season Undefeated

UConn had a record of 39 wins and 0 losses.

UConn beat Oklahoma 82-70.

10

The Huskies are the best women's basketball team in history.

Interactions 2 Reading, 4/e

Elaine Kirn
Pamela Hartmann

The Media

Getting Meaning from Context

On the lines, write the words from the reading selection that fit these definitions. The letters in
parentheses refer to the paragraphs where the words appear.

1 information that is not necessarily true (A):

2 a secret sexual relationship (A):

3 to have belief in (A):

4 a man who has never married (B):

5 to speak proudly or happily about something (B):

6 a channel filled with water that usually surrounds a castle or building (C):

7 to make a choice (C):

8 spoiled (C):

9 using race to identify people as potential law breakers (2 words) (D):

1 something done to help achieve a goal (D):

0

1 to keep in custody; to arrest (D):

1

1 never beaten (E):

2

1 success in a game, competition, etc. (E):

3

1 being behind in the score of a game (E):

4

Interactions 2 Reading, 4/e

Elaine Kirn
Pamela Hartmann

12

With Liberty and Justice for All

Vocabulary
Principio del formulario

Complete the sentences using the words below.

rights
violate
disputes
justice
sue
punishment
lawsuit sentence
commit
sin

1 The purpose of the law is to protect people's

2 The assassin received a

of life in jail.

3 The boy was sent to his room as a

4 The racial profiling

against the Cincinnati police might be

settled out of court.

5 In some societies,

are settled by village leaders; in others,

they are settled by modern courts.

6 Dr. Kimble was found guilty of a crime he didn't

7 If you

the law and you are caught, you will be arrested and

sent to prison.

8 It is common in the United States for people to

each other

over small disputes.

9 Concepts of

change from culture to culture. What's considered

a crime in one culture can be acceptable in another.

1A
0
Read

is the violation of a religious law.

Women and Men: Fair and Equal?

A Patricia started working at Larisa medical supplies four years ago, a year after graduating from
college with a degree in business. About a year ago, she was promoted to the head accountant
of her department. As her responsibilities grew, her working hours increasedshe was often in
the office until 7:00 or 8:00 at night, especially at the end of the fiscal year. Like other young
adults in Spain, Patricia still lived with her parents, but had started looking for an apartment to
buy. Like many other young adults in Spain, Patricia worked long hours, but earned only about
$1,000 a month. The low salary was the product of a bad economy, an over-trained workforce,
and the high competition for jobs, or so she thought. Realizing that she would need to start
saving for her new house, and recognizing her increased worth in the company, Patricia decided
to approach her employer about a raise. She and her boss, Jordi, had a very good working
relationship, and she knew that he respected her work. So one morning, with all of her
arguments clear in her head, Patricia knocked on the door.
B "Jordi," she said, "I've come to talk to you about my role in this company."
C "Of course, Patricia," he said. "Come in. What's on your mind?"
D Patricia outlined her reasons for wanting a raise. She talked about her increased hours and
responsibility, her effectiveness as an employee and team player, and her good relationship with
her colleagues. Jordi agreed with her on every point. But when she finally said "I think I should
be compensated for my work in the form of a higher salary," her boss's response shocked her.
E "Patricia, you are an excellent employee, but if I'd wanted to pay that much, I would have
hired a man."
F While Jordi's response is technically illegal in Spain, Patricia's situation is not uncommon.
According to many women, sex discrimination is considered "normal" there. It is common
practice for employers to ask a woman about her romantic life, her plans for a family or children
in a job interview so that they can decide whether or not they will be faced with a future
maternity leave. Many employers choose men for the reason that they don't want to have to
deal with women's messy "problems." Employers, recognizing that men often have the upper
hand, often offer women lower salaries in an attempt to save money. Women accept them,
either because they don't realize what's happening, or because they don't feel they have a
choice. They feel that in a country with such a high rate of unemployment, they are lucky to
have a job. According to statistics, in Catalonia, considered one of Spain's most "progressive"

provinces, the unemployment rate for women has been the highest in Europe: 22.5%, compared
with 10.7% for men (1999). The employment rate for women is over 20% lower than that of
men, and even larger discrepancies exist in rural areas. Finally, 79.34% of part-time contracts
go to women, and accusations of unlawful dismissal and failure to promote are increasing as
attitudes change and the problems come to light. National statistics show that women earn an
average of 28% less than men in the same positions.
G But Spain isn't the only country that suffers from such inequalities between women and men.
Most countries that claim to have equal rights for women suffer from such inequalities. According
to the United States Department of Labor, women's earnings in the U.S. have averaged almost
25% less than that of men's for the last fifty yearsvery similar to the Spanish statistics. While
the gap seemed to be closing between 1973 and 1996, it started widening again in 1997 as
men's earnings once again increased. Of course discrimination is not the only reason for such
differences between men and women's salaries. Other factors such as education level, choice of
occupation, seniority (the number of years spent in the work place), and race come into play.
The Department of Labor admits that sexism is still a factor, but that it is very hard to measure.
The fact that discrimination cases continue to be settled for millions of dollars shows that the
problem persists.
H What are the laws protecting women in the United States, and why is it easier for a woman to
take her employer to court in say, New York, than for Patricia to do the same in Barcelona? One
big answer is cultural. In some societies it is still acceptable for women to be treated differently
in the workplace, and change is slow. In Spain, women had very few rights under the Franco
regime, so change has come more slowly to that country. The other answer is judicial. The
United States has many legal checks and balances in place to try to prevent sex discrimination in
the work place. For instance, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment
discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The Equal Pay Act of 1963
(EPA), protects men and women who perform "equal" work in the same establishment from sexbased wage discrimination. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 provides monetary damages in cases of
intentional employment discrimination. However, these types of laws exist in many countries,
including Spain. They provide legal recourse for women who feel they are being discriminated
against. Laws like these are a first step toward fighting gender discrimination, but until attitudes
change along with them, women will remain second-class citizens.

Getting the Main Idea

Write T on the lines before the statements that are true, according to the reading. Write F before
the statements that are false. Write I before the statements that are impossible to know from
the reading.

Patricia was the victim of gender discrimination.

Women in the United States do not suffer from discrimination in

the workplace.

Spain has more gender discrimination than Italy.

Spain and the United States both have laws that protect women's
rights.

Women in the United States have more part-time contracts than

men.

The earnings gap between men and women in the U.S.

has steadily narrowed since 1973.

Interactions 2 Reading, 4/e

Elaine Kirn
Pamela Hartmann

With Liberty and Justice for All

Understanding Vocabulary from Context

Here are some vocabulary items that might be new from the reading
selection. Try to determine the definition of each item from the context and
write it on the line. Then check your answers.

1 raise (A)

2 compensate (D)

3 hire (E)

4 discrimination (F)

5 have the upper hand (F)

6 discrepancy (F)

7 unlawful (F)

8 dismissal (F)

9 inequalities (G)

1 earnings (G)
0

1 gap (G)
1

1 seniority (G)
2

1 sexism (G)
3

1 persist (G)
4

1 judicial (H)
5

1 recourse (H)
6

The ideas below are not stated directly in the reading. Write an F for false or a T for true
according to whether they are implied or not.

Patricia probably got her raise.

Patricia probably earns less than men doing the same job in her
company.

The author believes in women's rights.

In Spain, it is normal for a woman to take her employer to court if

she has been the victim of gender discrimination.

Many people in Spain still hold "traditional" values.