A、They grew up in the single-parent families. B、They are well-educated. C、They haven’t had their own houses. D、They have been ma

As the world struggles to emerge from the economic near-collapse, one group in the United States has slid below the waterline in record numbers; former middle-class women. A new report shows that about one million American middle-class women will find themselves in bankruptcy court this year. Their number is more than the women who will "graduate from college, receive a diagnosis of cancer, or file for divorce," according to economist Elizabeth. Their dilemma, which is considered as one symbol of the current situation of women around the world, holds lessons for us all. These bankrupt women are better-educated than their male counterparts: Most have some college education, and more than half own their own homes. What made them from middle-class lifestyles to incomes just above the poverty line was likely to have been one or all of three factors. And, for many women, these three are economic. First, these women tend to be into debt. Many of them have jobs that require them to dip into credit lines just to make a living. The second reason that one million American women have filed for bankruptcy is that these women must pay for them when their former husbands gave unpaid credit card payments. Moreover, these women tend to have unrealistic ideas about their economic paths. Young, middle-class women often fail to save because they assume that marriage will rescue them financially. As a result, they often see buying fashionable shoes or a great haircut rather than giving some money each month to a broker—as an "investment" in their romantic futures.
16. What’s the current situation of middle-class women in America?
17. Which is one of the common features of the bankrupt women?
18. What should the American woman do if her ex-husband couldn’t pay off the debt?
19. What do these women think of dressing up?