During the coronavirus pandemic, women have experienced greater economic fallout. First of all, more young women are losing their jobs as female-dominated sectors such as retail, hotels, and hairdressing salons are ordered to shut down. Women who work from home also need to take on more responsibility for housework and childcare. Some experts worry that the pandemic will a step in the wrong direction for women’s rights.
According to one UK research institute, 4.5 million people have had to do unpaid care work during the pandemic and most of them are women. As some businesses are open besides schools and nurseries, many mothers with full-time jobs also find themselves trapped between a rock and a hard place.
友善讓你懂 │ 解說：
在新冠肺炎疫情中，女性受到的影響，比男性更劇烈。首先，不少以女性為主的工作，包括零售、餐飲、美髮美甲等，被迫停業，讓許多女性失去工作。另外，不少全職母親也開始在家上班，必須要兼顧工作與育兒。
根據統計，英國有超過450萬人需要負擔起無償的照顧工作，且多數為女性。在傳統性別角色上，女性被期待是照顧者，這次的新冠疫情更是強化了這樣的實踐。尤其現在經濟逐漸解封，但學校或育兒中心還在關閉，許多擁有全職工作的母親忙的焦頭爛額，無法全心投入工作，也擔心會失去工作。
許多專家擔心，新冠疫情會讓奮鬥許久的女性權益，再度倒退。
輕鬆帶著走 │ 學習：
看到「between a rock and a hard place」，直接翻譯就是「在石頭與很硬的地方之間」，也就可以想像：這樣的空間一定很不舒服，因為兩方都是很糟的環境。因此，這個片語意思就是指「面對兩個同樣不好的選擇」或是「陷入兩難」。
例句：
You were really between a rock and a hard place when you had to choose between your career and your relationship. 當你要從事業與感情作選擇時，真的是兩難。
動詞可以用catch，被動式則是be caught between a rock and a hard place
I couldn’t make up my mind. I was caught between a rock and a hard place. 我無法作決定，我陷入兩難。
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