FCE LISTENING PRACTICE :Contraception for single mothers

Contraception for single mothers:
Single mothers can receive free contraception if they want it. The new policy is that a single mother on a benefit has to look for part-time work when the child is five. However, if she has another child while she is on a benefit, she has to look for work when that child is one year old. Paula Bennett, the Social Development Minister, says that the government will pay the cost of long-term contraception. However, women will have a choice about using contraception.
The government will also offer contraception to the teenage daughters of women on a benefit, if they are between the ages of 16 and 19.
The new policy is to try to stop women from becoming dependent on a benefit and to help them get jobs. There will be more money to help pay for childcare.
Listen to November 1st 2011 to hear more about single mothers on a benefit.
Vocabulary
• contraception – stops a woman getting pregnant

• benefit – money from the government to support the woman and her children

• dependent on – need
Questions

• Do you think a mother of a one-year old child should look for part-time work?

• Why is it sometimes difficult for single mothers to work outside the home?

• What is the difference between short-term and long-term contraception?

• What are your views about contraception for 16 to 19 year olds?