It was thought to be a sign of weakness if a husband needed his wife's help to support their family,
在当时，如果丈夫不能养家而需要妻子在外工作，人们会认为这是一个男人软弱的标志。
so my mother became a stay-at-home parent and an active volunteer.
因此，我的母亲成了一位全职妈妈和一个活跃的志愿者。
The centuries-old division of labor stood.
几个世纪以来的劳动分工就这样延续下来了。
Even though I grew up in a traditional home, my parents had the same expectations for me, my sister, and my brother.
尽管我在一个传统的家庭中长大，我的父母对我和弟弟妹妹有着相同的期望。
All three of us were encouraged to excel in school, do equal chores, and engage in extracurricular activities.
他们期望我们能够成绩优秀，共同分担家务，积极参加课外活动。
We were all supposed to be athletic too.
对了，我们还应该擅长运动。
My brother and sister joined sports teams, but I was the kid who got picked last in gym.
我的弟弟妹妹在学校里都参加了运动队，而我不是一个体育苗子。
Despite my athletic shortcomings, I was raised to believe that girls could do anything boys could do and that all career paths were open to me.
虽然体育方面的表现不出色，但父母对我的培养让我相信：男孩能做到的，女孩也能做，并且我有选择职业的自由。
When I arrived at college in the fall of 1987, my classmates of both genders seemed equally focused on academics.
当我在1987年秋季进入大学时，班里的男女同学在学习上投入的精力不相上下。
I don't remember thinking about my future career differently from the male students.
在记忆中，我对未来的职业设想与男同学没有什么不同。
I also don't remember any conversations about someday balancing work and children.
我也不记得自己是否曾讨论过有朝一日必须得在工作与孩子之间寻找平衡，
My friends and I assumed that we would have both.
我和朋友都认为自己会兼顾事业和家庭。
Men and women competed openly and aggressively with one another in classes, activities, and job interviews.
无论是在课堂上，还是在课外活动乃至工作面试中，男人和女人之间都在进行着公开而激烈的竞争。
Just two generations removed from my grandmother, the playing field seemed to be level.
从我的外祖母开始，经历了两代人的时间，择业竞争的环境看上去似乎已经平等了。
But more than twenty years after my college graduation, the world has not evolved nearly as much as I believed it would.
不过，我大学毕业已有20多年了，今天世界的变化并不像我想象的那样大。