{Topics on 04.14} Please Make Sure to Study Hard in Advance & Post a Comment

[Doo ^^]

[TOPIC 01] Single Women a Growing Problem

One in five women in Korea in her 30s is single, while in Seoul the ratio is one in three, according to Statistics Korea. Although there are no specific data on the total number of single women, experts believe around 40 percent of working women in their 30s are single, which is in line with what the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service estimates.

A report released on Wednesday by state-run Korea Development Institute on Korea's low birthrate shows that Asian countries like Korea have a lot of women in their 30s who are single.

According to the KDI report, the six countries with the lowest birthrates among 222 countries are all in Asia, including Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Those countries saw more and more women enter the workforce since the 2000s and are seeing a surge in single women in their mid-30s. As of last year, 21.9 percent of women between 35 to 39 were single in Japan, 21 percent in Taiwan, 17 percent in Singapore and 12.6 percent in Korea. The problem is not only that many highly educated women are single, but they do not want to have children.

According to Statistics Korea, 34.2 percent of women in Seoul with university degrees were single as of last year. Women with at least an elementary school education had 3.64 kids on average, but those with college degrees had just 1.69. Cho Nam-hoon of Hanyang University said, "The tendency to shun marriage is the main culprit behind the low birthrate. If we sit by and watch the number of singles rise, we will be unable to deal with the problem."

The KDI report suggests that singles should become more realistic about their choice of mate and lower their expectations. The report stresses that the government must come up with measures to ensure that women do not face any limitations from society when they get married.

Kim Young-chul, a researcher at the KDI, said, "Last year, college enrollment stood at 80.5 percent for women, already surpassing the rate for men of 77.6 percent, while the employment rate for women between 30 and 34 years was 52.9 percent. As long as women adhere to the traditional attitude that their husbands must be better off than they are in all areas, it will be difficult for them to find anyone to marry."

Other problems need to be resolved too, the report said, such as complicated wedding traditions and expensive protocol, the disadvantages married women face at work, and companies that lack childcare facilities.

1. Why do you think that the number of women who are single is getting grower?

2. What problems are caused by the low birthrates?

3. How can we resolve the low marriage rates?

4. Is it better to marry someone of the same educational, social, cultural and racial background?

5. Do you think that marriage should be for life? Should divorce be made easier or more difficult?

[TOPIC 02] Many in Britain fear going to doctor

Most in Britain do not know cancer's warning signs and nearly 40 percent say they may delay seeing a physician because of fear, a survey indicates.

The report, "Delay Kills," by Cancer Research UK, said more than three-quarters of people asked to list possible warning signs and symptoms of cancer failed to mention pain, coughing or problems with bowels or bladder.

The survey of 2,090 British adults said more than two-thirds also failed to list bleeding as a cancer warning sign and one-quarter mentioned weight loss or mole changes as being a potential sign of cancer.

However,even when people recognized signs that might be serious, about 40 percent said they might delay getting symptoms checked out because they were worried what the doctor might find. More than 25 percent said they might delay because they feared wasting the doctor's time.

If Great Britain matched the best cancer survival rate in Europe about11,500 cancer deaths could be prevented each year, the report said.

"If patients are diagnosed when the cancer is still in its early stages before it has had a chance to spread to other parts of the body it is more likely that treatment will be successful," Peter Johnson, Cancer Research UK's chief clinician, said in a statement."Of course we are all frightened of hearing that we may have cancer. But people need to know that catching the disease early gives them much better odds of surviving."

1. Why do you think many people are scared of going to the doctor for checkup?

2. What comes to mind when you hear the word cancer?

3. Do many people in your country die because of cancer nowadays? What can people do to prevent this?

4. How often do you go to the doctor for checkup?

5. How do you keep yourself healthy?

[Julie(김지애)]

참석 (이렇게 남기면 되나요?ㅋ 이게 끝이죠?^^뭘 더 적어야 되요??ㅋㅋ)

[상퐈]

이렇게만 적으시면 되지 않을까요?ㅎㅎ

[Gina(진아)]

네.ㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎ 내일뵈요^^

[Teddy(두희)]

함.께.해.요.~ ^^

[솔이오빠(영진)]

참석할께요~

[Gina(진아)]

영진님~ 함께해요`~~~^^

[정정]

정참~as usual~!!

[Gina(진아)]

Great!!

[claire]

전... 이번주 다음주 불참입니당 ㅠ.ㅜ

[Gina(진아)]

아숩네요.ㅠㅠ 담번에 같이해요^^

[Gina(진아)]

참썩!!!!ㅎㅎ

[Katie]

참석~^^

[Katie]

급한일이 생겨서...죄송해요. 담에 꼭 갈께요^^

[Clark]

참석합니다^^

[jaguar]

참석 못해요 ㅋㅋㅋㅋ 즐건 스터디 하세요 ㅋㅋㅋ