20160227

　　In many countries women are allowed to take maternity leave from their jobs during the first few months after the birth of their baby. Do advantages outweigh disadvantages?

　　Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

　　Write at least 250 words.

　　话题分析

　　好了我看到maternity这个词的时候就知道好多同学脑子里面一个大写的懵逼，所以单词量还得提一提啊。这个词的意思是“产科的”。

　　这次题目水平也不高，讨论优劣的时候并没有给出限定，前面maternity leave (产假)也没有指明是否带薪。所以可操作范围较大但没有什么实际研究意义。但介于是雅思作文，也就不多说了。

　　下面看这个表：　　

　　碰见这种题目中的观点可以用不同陈述对象来发散时，各位可以随手画出这个表并把关键词写进去。然后确保写的时候围绕着题目所给的关键词展开就好。比如上表根据题目，讨论的主体是Women, 那么请在A+或者A-中开始展开，确认这两个中的一个构成文章的主要论点，再写其他的方面。我的范文中先用两段写了A+，然后写了B-。

　　素材来源

　　美国、加拿大和欧洲相关法规比较健全，有兴趣可以去看看。末尾附了几个信息图，比较有意思。

　　范文

　　1Introduction (背景句+转述题目+个人倾向)

　　A maternity leave policy is being promoted in many countries, and a large number of women have benefited from it. Some concerns have arisen over the long leave of new mothers potentially creating some challenges for businesses. For me, without maternity leave (even unpaid), the situation becomes infinitely (adv. 极其地) more challenging for mothers.

　　2Body paragraph 1 (好处1)

　　Firstly, maternity leave was originally designed to protect the health of mothers and children by providing adequate medical and nursing care in childbirth, to lessen (vt. 使…减轻) the financial burden of childbearing and ensure a reasonable period free from excessive (adj. 过多的) labour. It varies from (随着…不同) systems which consist primarily of (主要包括) paid time off work (带薪休假) to those which include medical, nursing and in some cases, help with domestic labour. Under the protection of this policy, mothers can spend more time with their new-born child. Additionally, they have a range of rights during this period and can also request that their employer provides flexible working arrangements if they decide to return to work at the end of the leave.

　　3Body paragraph 2 (好处2)

　　Secondly, there are studies that access to parental leave, either paid or unpaid, can have a positive effect on the health of both babies and mothers, potentially reducing medical costs down the line (完全地). Evidence has proven that lower infant mortality (新生儿死亡率), higher birth weights, shorter hospital stays for children, and increased rates of breastfeeding (n. 母乳哺育) tend to stem from (起源于) more robust(adj. 强健的) leave policies. Furthermore, for mothers, the extra time is essential for bonding with (与…紧密联系) their baby; meeting other new mothers and staving off (避开;延缓) postpartum depression (产后抑郁症) are some positives results of maternity leave.

　　4Body paragraph 3 (让步段：弊端+反驳)

　　Yet on the flip side (然而另一方面), opponents of maternity leave - paid leave in particular- say it is an economic burden that can be expensive for businesses, which do not need more mandates (n. 命令;授权) from the government on how to operate their enterprises. Economists have found that with paid leave, more mothers choose to take time off, particularly low-income women who may have taken no leave ordropped out of (退出) the work force after the birth. Paid leave raises the probability that mothers return to employment later, and then work more hours and earn higher wages. Paid maternity leave does not necessarily help businesses - but it does not seem to hurt them, either.

　　5Conclusion (总结主要观点 + 个人建议)

　　In conclusion, although there could be some extra costs for companies when new mothers extend their maternity leave, e.g. hiring new staff to cover for the work, women who have a new-born infant must have the right to recover and be with the child. For employers, flexibly arranging the leave time and showing respect to women should be the core concept of their business ethics (商业道德) and corporate social responsibilities (企业社会责任).

　　(437 words)