The labor force is often organized as if workers had no family respons

Question

New Project RC Butler 2019  -  Practice 2 RC Passages Everyday   
Passage # 121, Date : 02-APR-2019
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The labor force is often organized as if workers had no family responsibilities. Preschool-age children need full-time care; children in primary school need care after school and during school vacations. Although day-care services can resolve some scheduling conflicts between home and office, workers cannot always find or afford suitable care. Even when they obtain such care, parents must still cope with emergencies, such as illnesses, that keep children at home. Moreover, children need more than tending; they also need meaningful time with their parents. Conventional full-time workdays, especially when combined with unavoidable household duties, are too inflexible for parents with primary child-care responsibility.

Although a small but increasing number of working men are single parents, those barriers against successful participation in the labor market that are related to primary child-care responsibilities mainly disadvantage women. Even in families where both parents work, cultural pressures are traditionally much greater on mothers than on fathers to bear the primary child-rearing responsibilities.

In reconciling child-rearing responsibilities with participation in the labor market, many working mothers are forced to make compromises. For example, approximately one-third of all working mothers are employed only part-time, even though part-time jobs are dramatically underpaid and often less desirable in comparison to full-time employment. Even though part-time work is usually available only in occupations offering minimal employee responsibility and little opportunity for advancement or self-enrichment, such employment does allow many women the time and flexibility to fulfill their family duties, but only at the expense of the advantages associated with full-time employment.

Moreover, even mothers with full-time employment must compromise opportunities in order to adjust to barriers against parents in the labor market. Many choose jobs entailing little challenge or responsibility or those offering flexible scheduling, often available only in poorly paid positions, while other working mothers, although willing and able to assume as much responsibility as people without children, find that their need to spend regular and predictable time with their children inevitably causes them to lose career opportunities to those without such demands. Thus, women in education are more likely to become teachers than school administrators, whose more conventional full-time work schedules do not correspond to the schedules of school-age children, while female lawyers are more likely to practice law in trusts and estates, where they can control their work schedules, than in litigation, where they cannot. Nonprofessional women are concentrated in secretarial work and department store sales, where their absences can be covered easily by substitutes and where they can enter and leave the work force with little loss, since the jobs offer so little personal gain. Indeed, as long as the labor market remains hostile to parents, and family roles continue to be allocated on the basis of gender, women will be seriously disadvantaged in that labor market.   1 
 E 
 1. Which one of the following best summarizes the main idea of ​​the passage?

(A) Current trends in the labor force indicate that working parents, especially women, may not always need to choose between occupational and child-care responsibilities.
(B) In order for mothers to have an equal opportunity for advancement in the labor force, traditional family roles have to be reexamined and revised.
(C) Although single parents who work have to balance parental and career demands, single mothers suffer resulting employment disadvantages that single fathers can almost always avoid.
(D) Although child-care responsibilities disadvantage many women in the labor force, professional women (such as teachers and lawyers) are better able to overcome this problem than are nonprofessional women.
(E) Traditional work schedules are too inflexible to accommodate the child-care responsibilities of many parents, a fact that severely disadvantages women in the labor force.

2 
 D 
 2. Which one of the following statements about part-time work can be inferred from the information presented in the passage?

(A) One-third of all part-time workers are working mothers.
(B) Part-time work generally offers fewer opportunities for advancement to working mothers than to women generally.
(C) Part-time work, in addition to having relatively poor wages, often requires that employees work during holidays, when their children are out of school.
(D) Part-time employment, despite its disadvantages, provides working mothers with an opportunity to address some of the demands of caring for children.
(E) Many mothers with primary child-care responsibility choose part-time jobs in order to better exploit full-time career opportunities after their children are grown.

3 
 C 
 3. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements about working fathers in two-parent families?

(A) They are equally burdened by the employment disadvantages placed upon all parents-male and female-in the labor market.
(B) They are so absorbed in their jobs that they often do not see the injustice going on around them.
(C) They are shielded by the traditional allocation of family roles from many of the pressures associated with child-rearing responsibilities.
(D) They help compound the inequities in the labor market by keeping women form competing with men for career opportunities.
(E) They are responsible for many of the problems of working mothers because of their insistence on traditional roles in the family.

4 
 B 
 4. Of the following, which one would the author most likely say is the most troublesome barrier facing working parents with primary child-care responsibility?

(A) the lack of full-time jobs open to women
(B) the inflexibility of work schedules
(C) the low wages of part-time employment
(D) the limited advancement opportunities for nonprofessional employees
(E) the practice of allocating responsibilities in the workplace on the basis of gender

5 
 D 
 5. The passage suggests that day care is at best a limited solution to the pressures associated with child rearing for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

(A) Even the best day care available cannot guarantee that children will have meaningful time with their parents.
(B) Some parents cannot afford day-care services.
(C) Working parents sometimes have difficulty finding suitable day care for their children.
(D) Parents who send their children to day care still need to provide care for their children during vacations.
(E) Even children who are in day care may have to stay home when they are sick.

6 
 A 
 6. According to the passage, many working parents may be forced to make any of the following types of career decisions EXCEPT

(A) declining professional positions for nonprofessional ones, which typically have less conventional work schedules
(B) accepting part-time employment rather than full-time employment
(C) taking jobs with limited responsibility, and thus more limited career opportunities, in order to have a more flexible schedule
(D) pursuing career specializations that allow them to control their work schedules instead of pursuing a more desirable specialization in the same field
(E) limiting the career potential of one parent, often the mother, who assumes greater child-care responsibility

7 
 A 
 7. Which one of the following statements would most appropriately continue the discussion at the end of the passage?

(A) At the same time, most men will remain better able to enjoy the career and salary opportunities offered by the labor market.
(B) Of course, men who are married to working mothers know of these employment barriers but seem unwilling to do anything about them.
(C) On the other hand, salary levels may become more equitable between men and women even if the other career opportunities remain more accessible to men than to women.
(D) On the contrary, men with primary child-rearing responsibilities will continue to enjoy more advantages in the workplace than their female counterparts.
(E) Thus, institutions in society that favor men over women will continue to widen the gap between the career opportunities available for men and for women.

Source:   LSAT Official PrepTest 7   ( February 1993 ) 
 Difficulty Level:   600

tapasgupta · Accepted Answer

1. Which one of the following best summarizes the main idea of ​​the passage?

(A) Current trends in the labor force indicate that working parents, especially women, may not always need to choose between occupational and child-care responsibilities.  - out of scope
 (B) In order for mothers to have an equal opportunity for advancement in the labor force, traditional family roles have to be reexamined and revised.  - out of scope
 (C) Although single parents who work have to balance parental and career demands, single mothers suffer resulting employment disadvantages that  single fathers can almost always avoid.   - GMAT Trap!!! - Inconsistent
 (D) Although child-care responsibilities disadvantage many women in the labor force, professional women (such as teachers and lawyers) are better able to overcome this problem than are nonprofessional women.  - Out of scope
 (E) Traditional work schedules are too inflexible to accommodate the child-care responsibilities of many parents, a fact that severely disadvantages women in the labor force.  - the main idea of the passage.

2. Which one of the following statements about part-time work can be inferred from the information presented in the passage?

(A) One-third of all part-time workers are working mothers.  - out of scope
 (B) Part-time work generally offers fewer opportunities for advancement to working mothers than to women generally.  - out of scope
 (C) Part-time work, in addition to having relatively poor wages, often requires that employees work during holidays, when their children are out of school.  - out of scope
 (D) Part-time employment, despite its disadvantages, provides working mothers with an opportunity to address some of the demands of caring for children.  - as stated in the 3rd para
 (E) Many mothers with primary child-care responsibility choose part-time jobs in order to better exploit full-time career opportunities after their children are grown.  - out of scope

3. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements about working fathers in two-parent families?

(A) They are equally burdened by the employment disadvantages placed upon all parents-male and female-in the labor market.  - Inconsistent
 (B) They are so absorbed in their jobs that they often do not see the injustice going on around them.  - out of scope
 (C) They are shielded by the traditional allocation of family roles from many of the pressures associated with child-rearing responsibilities.  - This line proves it. "Even in families where both parents work, cultural pressures are traditionally much greater on mothers than on fathers to bear the primary child-rearing responsibilities."
 (D) They help compound the inequities in the labor market by keeping women form competing with men for career opportunities.  - out of scope
 (E) They are responsible for many of the problems of working mothers because of their insistence on traditional roles in the family.  - out of scope

4. Of the following, which one would the author most likely say is the most troublesome barrier facing working parents with primary child-care responsibility?

(A) the lack of full-time jobs open to women  - out of scope
 (B) the inflexibility of work schedules  - as stated in 1st para
 (C) the low wages of part-time employment  - out of scope
 (D) the limited advancement opportunities for nonprofessional employees  - out of scope
 (E) the practice of allocating responsibilities in the workplace on the basis of gender  - out of scope

5. The passage suggests that day care is at best a limited solution to the pressures associated with child rearing for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

(A) Even the best day care available cannot guarantee that children will have meaningful time with their parents.  - This line proves it "Moreover, children need more than tending; they also need meaningful time with their parents." This means that this is not provided by day care 
 (B) Some parents cannot afford day-care services.  - stated in the passage
 (C) Working parents sometimes have difficulty finding suitable day care for their children.  - stated in the passage
( D) Parents who send their children to day care still need to provide care for their children  during vacations .  - Inconsistent
 (E) Even children who are in day care may have to stay home when they are sick.  - stated in the passage

6. According to the passage, many working parents may be forced to make any of the following types of career decisions EXCEPT

(A) declining professional positions for nonprofessional ones, which typically have less conventional work schedules  - nothing is talked about the declining of professional positions. No comparison is done as well
 (B) accepting part-time employment rather than full-time employment  - stated in the passage
 (C) taking jobs with limited responsibility, and thus more limited career opportunities, in order to have a more flexible schedule  - stated in the passage
 (D) pursuing career specializations that allow them to control their work schedules instead of pursuing a more desirable specialization in the same field  - stated in the passage
 (E) limiting the career potential of one parent, often the mother, who assumes greater child-care responsibility  - stated in the passage

7. Which one of the following statements would most appropriately continue the discussion at the end of the passage?

(A) At the same time, most men will remain better able to enjoy the career and salary opportunities offered by the labor market.  - last line says that women are most disadvantaged. This means men are in better position
 (B) Of course, men who are married to working mothers know of these employment barriers but seem unwilling to do anything about them.  - out of scope
 (C) On the other hand, salary levels may become more equitable between men and women even if the other career opportunities remain more accessible to men than to women.  - main idea does seem to match with this point
 (D) On the contrary, men with primary child-rearing responsibilities will continue to enjoy more advantages in the workplace than their female counterparts.  - This line proves otherwise."Even in families where both parents work, cultural pressures are traditionally much greater on mothers than on fathers to bear the primary child-rearing responsibilities.
 (E) Thus, institutions in society that favor men over women will continue to widen the gap between the career opportunities available for men and for women.  - out of scope

Raj319 · Answer

See, the author talks about 2 types of children. Children going to Pre-School and Primary school. All the choices were presented in the first paragraph except choice D. Although the passage says that parents need to take care of children during vacations, it specifically says that about  primary school children  not pre-school/Day care children.

So choice D is the answer

aakashgoyal25 · Answer

6. According to the passage, many working parents may be forced to make any of the following types of career decisions EXCEPT

(A) declining professional positions for nonprofessional ones, which typically have less conventional work schedules
(B) accepting part-time employment rather than full-time employment
(C) taking jobs with limited responsibility, and thus more limited career opportunities, in order to have a more flexible schedule
(D) pursuing career specializations that allow them to control their work schedules instead of pursuing a more desirable specialization in the same field
(E) limiting the career potential of one parent, often the mother, who assumes greater child-care responsibility

The question has EXCEPT in the end:
1) No where mentioned in the passage
2) Last Para
3) Last Para
4) Thus, women in education are more likely to become teachers than school administrators, whose more conventional full-time work schedules do not correspond to the schedules of school-age children, while female lawyers are more likely to practice law in trusts and estates, where they can control their work schedules, than in litigation, where they cannot. (This part somewhat explains 4th point that Parents want to pursue administrators jobs or likely to practice law in litigation but they sacrifice such jobs for the sake of their children. )
5) Last Para

Gmatprep550 · Answer

Hi  aakashgoyal25 ,

I think they have mentioned about option A in " Even though part-time work is usually available only in occupations offering minimal employee responsibility and little opportunity for advancement or self-enrichment, such employment does allow many women the time and flexibility to fulfill their family duties, but only  at the expense of the advantages associated with full-time employment. " and "Moreover, even mothers with full-time employment  must compromise opportunities "

Also think D should be answer as "in the same field" does not match with the content provided in the passage.

Gmatprep550 · Answer

Hi  workout ,  GMATNinja ,  SajjadAhmad ,  GMATNinjaTwo ,

Could you please assist us on this queston.

Kanvi · Answer

anybody please explain question 6

ArihantJain18 · Answer

Need explanation for 6 and 7.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hello  Gmatprep550  
 Kanvi 
 ArihantJain18

here i am trying to answer you all.

After reading and taking this passage twice i come to conclude that this passage has been very controversial because of its last three questions. I have updated it with necessary and some meaningful changes.

1. Question #5 has been removed as it was flawed and make no sense. previously Q#6 is now upgraded to q#5.

2. Changed the OA of question #6 (now question #5 ) to D, though D is also not perfect answer but can stay alive here and is best among available options.

3. Changed the OA of question #7 (now question#6 or last question) to E, E is good.

Kindly review this passage again, if you have any question let me know and you are welcome to share your thoughts on these changes i have just made.

Thanks and regards

PRIYANSHU1111 · Answer

How is 6th A? Can you share the OE? Thanks!

Sajjad1994 · Answer

I don't have OE, this explanation belongs to Kaplan.

Explanation

6. According to the passage, many working parents may be forced to make any of the following types of career decisions EXCEPT

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

It’s another  EXCEPT  question; this time we’re asked to locate the type of career decision working parents might face that’s not discussed by the author. Although the types of decisions that are mentioned may be scattered throughout the passage, you should have been able to remember a few off the top of your head, and thus eliminate a few wrong choices with a quick scan. Then you should refer back to the passage to eliminate the rest. In the end, you should have found that the decision in  (A)  is the odd one out: Although the author mentions both professional and nonprofessional jobs and the circumstances that both entail, the author never states or implies that working parents are forced to decline professional jobs for nonprofessional ones.

(B)  Taking part-time over full-time work appears in  Para 3 ,  (lines approximately one-third of all working mothers are employed only part-time, even though part-time jobs are dramatically underpaid and often less desirable in comparison to full-time employment. Even though part-time work is usually available only in occupations) , in the section where the author writes about compromises that working mothers make.

(C) and (D)  Taking jobs with less responsibility and pursuing less desirable specializations both appear in  Para 4 . If you caught the basic gist of  Para 4 , you probably were able to axe these choices without having to refer back to the passage.

(E)  is another choice that may not have required a glance back to the passage; it’s a main focus of the whole passage, and is suggested throughout, but most particularly at the beginning of the third paragraph.

Answer: A

Hope it helps

Teitsuya · Answer

Sajjad1994

LSAT practices questions would be useful for GMAT RC ?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hello Teitsuya

The short answer is YES

Your first priority should be the official GMAT question but if you run out of the official questions then the LSAT official questions are good to practice, It is the long answer.

Good luck!

linhkieudl · Answer

Hi  Sajjad1994 , may you help with the analysis of why the answer of the last question is A? I struggle with that one.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

7. Which one of the following statements would most appropriately continue the discussion at the end of the passage?

Difficulty Level:   700-750

Explanation

The final question of this passage asks for the choice containing the sentence that would best follow the concluding sentence. The best place to start is by taking another look at that concluding sentence. The passage concludes by explaining that women will continue to be disadvantaged in the labor market as long as the market is hostile toward parents, and as long as family roles are based on gender. Well, if women continue to be disadvantaged, it makes sense to say that men will continue to be advantaged; that is, they will do better in the labor market.

(A)  logically follows from the argument. This is not to say that this is the direction the author has to go if she decides to continue the passage, but it does make for an appropriate and logical continuation.

(B)  is unwarranted; we have no reason to believe that men are unwilling to do anything about employment barriers. In addition, it changes the subject from the matter at hand—the current and future state of parents in the job market.

(C)  is also an unlikely continuation because it discusses “salaries,” an issue barely touched on in the passage.

(D)  refers to men with primary child-raising responsibilities, but the passage presents no information about their role in the workplace.

(E)  tries to relate gender-related societal traditions to gender differences in career opportunities, but there’s no indication that this is where the author is going with all this.  (E)  makes it sound as if the first thing causes the other, whereas the author discusses societal institutions only as a part of a larger problem.

Answer: A

Hoozan · Answer

P1 starts of by stating the parents in the labor market face issues with child raring. The rest of the passage shows how women are at a higher disadvantage. So why can't (D) be the OA for Q7

Moreover, in Q7, (E) talks about "institutions that favor men" I believe this is an out of scope factor since the passage doesn't mention institutions favouring men. Rather it talks about society pressure working at a disadvantage for women. These two are different idea all together

linhkieudl · Answer

Hi  Sajjad1994 , thank you for your explanation

alizakhatoon · Answer

Is ques 7th ans.A or E please confirm it

Posted from my mobile device

Sajjad1994 · Answer

The answer to question #7 is A, further, you can read the detailed explanation of the same question in the post in the link below. https://gmatclub.com/forum/the-labor-fo ... l#p2991652 Good luck!

akt715 · Answer

Thus, women in education are more likely to become teachers than school administrators, whose more conventional full-time work schedules do not correspond to the schedules of school-age children.

I know it's a RC question. But let me ask a question related to SC. As per my understanding  whose  in the sentence refers to teachers, but as per the what I have seen in SC questions , it always refer to immediate noun , in this case school administrators. Is my understanding correct?

The labor force is often organized as if workers had no family respons

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

The labor force is often organized as if workers had no family respons

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