Shadowing Practice: What is gender equality? - Learn English Speaking with Video
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45 sentences
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1
This is Katya.
2
She was denied a job recently because her employer feared she might go on maternity leave.
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Taras was employed instead of Katya.
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For the sake of this position, he had to give up his dream job because it was poorly paid,
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and Taras was sure he had to earn a lot to provide for his family.
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Both Taras and Katya are very upset that they cannot fulfill their potential.
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They both suffered from gender stereotypes in society.
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What are gender stereotypes?
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They are generalized ideas about what qualities men and women should have and what social roles they should play.
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One such stereotype is that the role of the breadwinner in the family should be played by the husband,
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but the domestic chores and cooking should only be done by women.
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According to a UNFPA Ukraine survey, 70 % of Ukrainian men believe so.
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Taras is one of them, although he suffers from the gender stereotypes imposed by society.
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The belief that raising children is a woman's responsibility can hinder women's careers.
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Employers do not want to hire young women and prefer to employ men.
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It is less likely that they will go on paternity leave.
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It happened with Katya, who had problems finding a job and developing her career.
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Another common stereotype.
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It is believed that women are weak and men are strong.
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In addition, the wife must unquestionably obey her husband and her views are not taken into account or are considered less important.
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Such gender stereotypes are often a cause of violence against women.
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Annually, 1 .1 million
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Ukrainian women suffer from sexual and physical violence, and this is one of the direct consequences of gender inequality.
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Do gender stereotypes have a right to exist?
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No, absolutely not.
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These are just wrong ideas and patterns of thinking aimed at dictating the behavior of men and women in society.
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Gender stereotypes limit the ability of women and men to develop their potential, pursue professional careers and make choices about their lives.
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Gender stereotypes determine the value of an individual depending on their gender, which is a violation of fundamental human rights.
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This leads to gender inequality in society.
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What is the situation in Ukrainian society?
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On average, women's salaries in Ukraine are 22 % lower than those paid to men,
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and only 29 % of decision -making positions in Ukrainian companies are held by women.
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Today, there are only a little more than 20 % of women among members of the Ukrainian parliament.
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At the same time, the parliament passes laws that influence the observance of women's rights, their lives and health.
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Ukraine ranks 59th out of 153 countries in terms of gender equality.
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What is gender equality?
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It is equal access for women and men to social benefits, opportunities, resources and remunerations.
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In a gender equal society, women and men choose their professions by vocation, receive equal pay and develop their careers using their skills.
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Such a society treats women and men with equal respect and pays close attention to their views when making decisions, adopting laws and implementing policies.
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Who will benefit from gender equality?
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Everyone.
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Both men and women can be free of the pressure of society
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and fulfill their potential regardless of the gender roles imposed by stereotypes.
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Katiya and Taras will be much happier
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and more successful in a gender -equal society because their opportunities will not depend on their gender.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “What is gender equality?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: gender, stereotype, society, Taras, Ukrainian. This video has 45 sentences and 560 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:40. The speaker talks at a natural 153 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 82% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| suffer verb | /ˈsʌfɚ/ | To undergo hardship. |
| equality noun | /ɪˈkwɑ.lɪ.ti/ | The fact of being equal. |
| employer noun | /ɪmˈplɔɪə/ | A person, firm or other entity which pays for or hires the services of another person. |
| depend verb | /dɪˈpɛnd/ | To be contingent or conditioned; to have something as a necessary condition |
| employ verb | /ɪmˈplɔɪ/ | To retain (someone) as an employee. |
| inequality noun | /ˌɪn.ɪˈkwɑ.lɪ.ti/ | A condition or state (of social, cultural, or legal matters) that is not equal; especially, such a condition that is thereby also unfair. |
| fulfill verb | /fʊlˈfɪl/ | To satisfy, carry out, bring to completion (an obligation, a requirement, etc.). |
| earn verb | /ɝn/ | To gain (success, reward, recognition) through applied effort or work. |
| regardless adverb | /ɹɪˈɡɑɹd.lɪs/ | Without attention to warnings or indications of bad consequences. |
| belief noun | /bɪˈliːf/ | Mental acceptance of a claim as true. |
| rank noun | /ˈɹæŋk/ | A row of people or things organized in a grid pattern, often soldiers. |
| skill noun | /skɪl/ | A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. |
| hire verb | /ˈhaɪɹ/ | To obtain the services of in return for fixed payment. |
| sake noun | /ˈseɪ̯k/ | Cause, interest or account. |
| resource noun | /ɹɪˈzɔːs/ | Something that one uses to achieve an objective, e.g. raw materials or personnel. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| give up verb | To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone). |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: violation /ˌvaɪ.əˈleɪ.ʃən/, profession /pɹəˈfɛʃ.ən/, remuneration /ɹɪˌmjuː.nəˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, vocation /vəʊˈkeɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: equality /ɪˈkwɑ.lɪ.ti/, inequality /ˌɪn.ɪˈkwɑ.lɪ.ti/, fundamental /ˌfʌn.dəˈmɛn.təl/, violation /ˌvaɪ.əˈleɪ.ʃən/, maternity /məˈtɜɹnəti/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like suffer, equality, employer.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.