經(jīng)濟學人精讀 The Economist [36] | Apart together

The Economist經(jīng)濟學人精讀[36]

選自December 232017 United States版塊

#Eva??說#

美國已婚夫婦異地居住的家庭由2000年的2千7百萬，上漲到了如今的3千9百萬。如今科技的變化使的異地居住不再像從前一樣困難，但科技，交通的發(fā)展一定程度上卻促成了更多的已婚異地夫婦。雖然其中不乏夫婦因工作原因被迫異地居住，但其中的真實原因我們無法得知。此外，有政治戰(zhàn)略家認為，2008年美國經(jīng)濟蕭條使得夫妻因工作和經(jīng)濟問題被迫分開。但如今，經(jīng)濟形式已恢復，但已婚異地夫妻的數(shù)量并沒有下降。也許，美國家庭的模式正在發(fā)生轉(zhuǎn)變。

題外話：異地生活是乏味的，而假期是家庭團聚的最佳時期。恰巧趕上今天是圣誕節(jié)，希望大家與愛你的和你愛的一起度過，各位，圣誕快樂。????????????

#以上，個人總結(jié)和理解，歡迎批評指正，歡迎留言討論#

#有輸出才有進步#

Marriage

Apart together

The rise of long-distance marriage[異地婚姻增長]

The Callahans, Karen and Kevin, got married in 1973 when they were college students in Des Moines, Iowa[Callahans夫婦，Karen和Kevin1973年結(jié)婚，但他們還是愛荷華Des Moines的大學生].Forty years, two children andumpteen[許多]moves across the country later, theyput down roots[定居開始新生活][40年，帶著兩個孩子，美國搬很多次家后，他們才定居下來生活]. Karentooka job in Durham, North Carolina, while Kevin stayed in Parkville, Missouri, where he could be close to relatives and prepare their home for retirement[Karen在北卡羅萊納Durham工作，與此同時，Kevin在密蘇里Parkville，在那里他與親戚們離著很近，并為他們退休后的房子做準備]. They see each other at least once a month, for birthdays, holidays andmini-breaks[他們每個月至少見一次，為慶祝生日，假期，和短暫的休息]. Theylook forward totheir phone calls, almost every night at around nine[他們幾乎每晚九點左右都會等待互通電話].

About 3.9m married Americans aged 18 and overlive apart fromtheir spouses, up from around 2.7m in 2000[大約3900百萬18歲以上的已婚美國人都魚他們的配偶分開居住，由2000年的2700百萬上漲至此]. That numbercomes withsomecaveats[警告], says Jonathan Vespa, a demographer[人口統(tǒng)計學家] with the US Census Bureau[美國人口普查局人口統(tǒng)計學家Jonathan Vespa說，這樣的數(shù)字帶來一些警告]. Some of those people, like the Callahans, may be party to a commutermarriage[一些像Callahans夫婦的人可能參與著一場通勤婚姻]. Others may be living apart,against their wishes, from spouses who areincarcerated[困住], in nursing homes[私人療養(yǎng)院]orserving in the armed forces[另一些人可能迫不得已違背意愿與配偶分開居住，或因在私人療養(yǎng)院工作，或在軍隊工作]. “We know it’s increasing,” says Danielle Lindemann, a professor of sociology at Lehigh University who surveyed a group of 97 commuter spouses[“我們知道這樣的人在增加“，DanielleLindemann，一位調(diào)查了97對通勤配偶的Lehigh大學社會學教授說]. “But we can't really tell who is living apart just because of their jobs.”[但是，我們并無法真正知道誰是因為工作而分開居住]

A higher share of men and women in their 30sand 40slive away from their partners than do those in younger and older working-age groups, according to census data[根據(jù)人口普查數(shù)據(jù)，30多歲和40多歲的男女比那些年少于他們和年長于他們的工作人群，分開居住的比例更大]. The number of separate spousestapers off[逐漸變小]as people trade full-time employment for retirement[隨著人們用退休交換全職工作，分開居住配偶的數(shù)量逐漸減小]. And the geographical patterns differ for men and women[并且男女的地理分布不同]. Texas is home to the highest number of men who report an absent spouse, whereas Alaska takes the top spot for women[德克薩斯州報告缺少配偶的男人數(shù)量最多，而阿拉斯加州是怎樣情形的女人最多]. Nevada and New York, states with large tourism and manufacturing industries, are in the top five for both sexes[內(nèi)華達州和紐約州，擁有大量旅游業(yè)和制造業(yè)，在這兩種情況下排名均列前五].

Technological change has made living separate lives more bearable, and has thus probably contributed to long-distance marriage becoming more common[科技的變化使得更好的忍受分開居住，因此可能促使異地婚姻更加普遍]. “With air travel and e-mail and FaceTime it‘s a whole different ballgame[完全不同的情況],” Mr Callahan says[Callahan先生說，飛機，電郵和Facetime視頻，使一切變得都不一眼了]. As communication and travel became easier and cheaper, the logistical challenges of keeping two homes and bringing up[撫養(yǎng)]children together while physically apartdwindled[減少][隨著交流和旅行變得更加容易和廉價，分隔兩地維系兩個家庭，一起撫養(yǎng)孩子的后勤和運輸上的挑戰(zhàn)在減少]. Ms Lindemann, who lived apart from her husband when she accepted a position in Nashville, is a case in point[例證][Lindemann女士，當她接受了納什維爾的職位而與丈夫分開，就是一個例證]. She had no children and saw the separation as temporary arrangement with a set end-date[她沒有孩子，把這樣的分開看成一個設(shè)定結(jié)束日期的臨時安排]. Commuter couples in academia say the choice to live apart is a “professional necessity rather than financial necessity”, Ms Lindemann says[“學術(shù)界的通勤伴侶認為分開居住的選擇，是一個職業(yè)必需品，而非財務(wù)必需品“，Ms Lindemann說].

It is nofluke[僥幸，偶然]that there has been a shift away fromcohabitation[同居] within marriage since the financial crisis of 2008[自2008年金融危機以后，婚姻中的同居現(xiàn)象已經(jīng)發(fā)生了轉(zhuǎn)變，而這絕非偶然]. Mark Penn, a political strategist, argues that only a minority of commuter spouses are highly educated careerists and academics like Ms Lindemann[Mark Penn，一個政治戰(zhàn)略家認為僅有很少數(shù)的通勤配偶是受過高等教育的職業(yè)人士和像Ms Lindemann一樣的學術(shù)人士]. Most have been “forced apart by economics”, he says[大部分“都因經(jīng)濟被迫分開”，他說]. The timing is suggestive: as the economy went into recession many people faced a choice between a job far away and no job at all[時間是有暗示的：當經(jīng)濟蕭條時，人們在要么很遠的工作，和要么沒有工作之間做選擇]. Curiously, though, the number of long-distance marriages has not declined, even as America’s economy has recovered[但，奇怪的是，即使美國經(jīng)濟已經(jīng)恢復了，異地婚姻的數(shù)量并沒有減少]. Anenduring[持久的]shift in America’s familial norms may be under way[美國家庭標準可能正在進行一個持久的改變].

Long-distance marriage is oftenunglamorous[無趣的][異地婚姻通常是乏味的]. Some lucky commuters are able to visit their partner every weekend[一些幸運的通勤者可以每個周末見到伴侶]. Others go months, or even years, without a reunion[其他人，可能好幾個月，甚至好幾年都無法團聚]. Holidays can provide a briefrespite[暫時的緩解][節(jié)假日提供了短暫的緩解]. Among the usualthrongs[人群]of travellers this December will be husbands and wives who are neitherestranged[分居，不和]nor living together[在眾多習以為常的游客人群中，這個12月是那些既沒有分居但也沒有住在一起的夫妻的（團聚的日子）].

20171225???569 words

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