A、The household chores. B、The preparation for dinner. C、The washing and ironing. D、Small repairs around the house. D讲座开头讲到现代女性慢慢

Modern woman may be better educated, have a better job and earn more money than her grandmother ever dreamed of, but in one way her life remains the same—eight out of ten women still do the household chores. [23] The only area where the average man is more likely to help out is with small repairs around the house. Only 1 per cent of men say they do the washing and ironing or decide what to have for dinner. [24] The report Social Focus on Women and Men, by the Office for National Statistics, found that attitudes to women working have changed drastically over the past decade. Whereas in 1987 more than half of men and 40 per cent of women agreed with the statement, "A husband’s job is to earn the money, a wife’s job is to look after the home and family", that view had halved among both sexes by 1994. The numbers agreeing strongly with the statement, "A job is all right but what most women really want is a home and children", had also halved from 15 per cent to 7 per cent of men feeling that way and 12 per cent to 5 per cent of women.
    [25] Women’s increased participation in the world of work has been one of the most striking features of recent decades. Nearly half of all women aged 55 to 59 have no qualifications. But their grand-daughters are outperforming their male peers across the board, and from 1989 overtook boys at A-levels. Gender stereotypes persist at this level of education, however, with more than three-fifths of English entrants being female, while a similar proportion of maths entrants are male. A greater number of boys take physics and chemistry whereas girls predominate in social sciences and history. The explosion in higher education means there was a 66 per cent increase in number of female undergraduates and a 50 per cent increase in the number of male undergraduates between 1990-91 and 1996-96. Women are also making breakthroughs in specific areas of employment. Women now form a slight majority among new lawyers although they make up only one-third of all lawyers.
    23. What is the only area where an average man is more likely to help out?
    24. What did the report Social Focus on Women and Men find?
    25. What is one of the most striking features of recent decades?