14518 mothers
猫头鹰在线写作实验室
TOEFL Independent Writing Task
Essay Question: Should Mothers Work?
Sample Answer by Jeenn Lee Hsieh
谢振礼 ielts360toefl@hotmail.com
TOEFL Essay Topic: 论说文真题
>Some people believe that mothers should not work. Others argue against this. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples (based on your knowledge or experience) to support your answer.
>Do you agree or disagree? Mothers should not work outside the home. They should stay at home to look after their children. Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.
Example Writing by Jeenn Lee Hsieh: 谢振礼实验范文
The problem about whether or not mothers should work outside the home is a personal issue, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. It is up to every mom with young children to weigh on the pros and cons between the two options under different circumstances related particularly to emotional and financial needs. On each side, of course, there is something to gain and something to lose.
On the one side, it is understandable that the pay check may talk mothers into taking the option to work outside the home. Several positive factors may also encourage mothers to return to the workplace while raising children, but the most important motivation is to earn a regular income for the family at the cost of giving less time to their children. Apart from financial reasons, working mothers can enjoy adult interaction, chatting with co-workers about current events--politics, sports, movies, scandals of celebrities, anything! This gives a working mother an identity beyond "Mom", not to mention the secret pleasure of getting time alone away from their families, to think in quiet and focus on something other than the relentless drumbeat of kids' needs. No wonder, for the past few decades, it has been popular and widely accepted for moms to work, considering that, although being a mother is the most important task of a woman (who as well has plenty of mundane chores), it is not the only one.
On the other side, it pays to personally look after children (say, under three years old) in such a loving and emotional way that all moms understand by nature. This option used to be favored by those moms who have the financial means or who have the sufficient support of their spouses as chief bread-winners of the family. Today, however, more moms with kids in all economic levels appear to consider staying at home and giving parental love, and therefore not going back to work after the birth of their children. Typical testimonies to this effect have recently been heard. Examples: "I could never let someone else to raise my child", and "I would not put my dogs in daycare, let alone my kids", and "I hate to see that my kids look really close to their nanny". Interestingly, from a social-economic point of view, all mothers are "working mothers" because working-outside moms and working-at-home moms are both extremely hard jobs. Nevertheless, being a mother at home is probably the highest paid job in the world, since payment is pure love.
In conclusion, mothers need to know what to gain and what to lose, when it comes to working outside the home or staying at home to care for their children. They either go for one option or the other that best fits the actual conditions. For children, there are stay-at-home moms and there are working-outside moms, love being the same but the degree of child-care being different. (Essay created by Jenn Lee Hsiehielts360toefl@hotmail.com pigai zuowen)
