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Three out of four British Bangladeshi children live below the poverty line. That was the biggest jolt in a series of sad reports

admin2009-06-24  43
问题     Three out of four British Bangladeshi children live below the poverty line. That was the biggest jolt in a series of sad reports on April 30th from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Their focus was the link between ethnicity and poverty, which they found to be pretty robust. Some 40% of those from ethnic minorities live in poverty, it said, if poverty is defined as receiving 60% or less of the median income. This is double the proportion of whites. Even Indians and Chinese were much likelier than whites to be poor, despite trouncing them at school.
    The struggle to escape poverty begins with a big decision: whether to seek paid employment or work for oneself. Historically there has been a strong ethnic divide. South Asian and Chinese immigrants have been quick to set up businesses, whereas black Africans and Caribbeans have worked for others. Yet this pattern now appears to be breaking up. Chinese and Indian men seem to be ditching the takeaways and newsagents, but black Caribbeans and Pakistanis are keener than ever to go into business for themselves.
    Ken Clark and Stephen Drinkwater, the authors of the Rowntree report, identify various characteristics that incline workers to self-employment. Those who are born abroad or poorly qualified find it harder to get other jobs. Starting a business usually takes financial and human capital, so older people who own their own home and have families are more likely to set up shop. Educational achievement makes an especially big difference in Britain, where graduates snootily consider sell-employment a last resort for dimwits—unlike in America, where plenty of big brains make big bucks starting their own firms.
    If this is true, it is not surprising that Indians and Chinese are beginning to turn away from self-employment. Whizzes at exams, young and increasingly likely to have been born in Britain, the latest generation is more apt to become doctors and lawyers than restaurateurs. Black Africans and Caribbeans, meanwhile, still lag behind at school and as a group are slightly older, which may explain their swerve into business. A boom in the construction industry—in which much black self-employment is based—may also have contributed, along with government efforts to boost black entrepreneurship.
    The puzzle is Pakistanis. Though they share some characteristics with Indians and Chinese—including improved education levels and a youthful profile—they are moving the other way. "Relative to their qualifications, they seem to get lower returns on paid employment than other groups", says Mr. Drinkwater. That they persist in self-employment may be due to a lack of more rewarding alternatives.
    Why don’t they find well-paid jobs as easily as others? "Discrimination is the thing we assume is left", says Mr. Clark. But there are other factors: The concentration of Pakistanis in depressed textile towns makes it harder to find employment, and unwillingness to move away compounds this. Religion may also play its part. Interestingly, white Muslims seem to experience the same labour-market disadvantages as black and Asian ones.
选项 A、troubling.
B、beating.
C、annoying.
D、competing.
答案B
解析
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