You are one of the speakers in a debate on the topic: Women should not be in paid employment while they are still bearing children. Write your contribution ...

Answer Details

Model answer: debate speech (arguing AGAINST the proposition)

Mr Chairman, panel of judges, accurate timekeeper, my worthy opponents, ladies and gentlemen. I rise to oppose the proposition that women should not be in paid employment while they are still bearing children.

My first argument is economic. In these hard times, one income is rarely enough to raise a family. A working mother helps to meet the cost of food, housing, health care and the children's education. To bar her from paid work is to condemn many homes to needless poverty.

Secondly, a woman has a right to develop her talents and contribute to society. Women serve as doctors, teachers, engineers and leaders, and the nation cannot afford to lose their skills for the many years during which they bear children. To send them home would waste their training and slow the progress of the country.

Thirdly, with modern support, a woman can combine work and motherhood successfully. Maternity leave, day-care centres, house helps and supportive husbands make it possible for a mother to care for her children and still keep her job. Countless women do this well every day.

My opponents may say that children need their mother at home. I agree that children need care and love, but this can be provided without shutting the mother out of employment; quality care matters more than mere presence.

Mr Chairman, for these reasons, I urge this house to reject the proposition. Thank you.

Key features expected: debate opening with vocatives; a clear stand; at least three developed arguments; a rebuttal of the other side; a firm close. A candidate may equally argue FOR the proposition, stressing the child's need for maternal care in the early years.