Shoulder the burden
Today’s English expression is an idiom, to “shoulder the burden.” A burden is a duty, a responsibility, or something that causes you to be worried or distressed. When you “shoulder a burden,” you are doing something that is stressful, painful, or emotionally difficult, and you’re often doing it for someone else.
Who shoulders the burden of contraception? As you heard in today’s lesson, many couples use the contraceptive pill as birth control . In those couples, it is the woman who shoulders the burden of contraception by going to the doctor, getting a prescription, remembering to take a daily pill, getting the prescription refilled, and suffering the side effects. In those couples, the man blithely enjoys all the benefits of contraception without shouldering any of the burden; he, in other words , doesn’t have to pay the price, doesn’t have to do the stressful or painful or difficult thing.
The sanctions on Russia include both official ones imposed by governments and unofficial ones imposed voluntarily by companies . These are likely to increase prices of fuel, food, and other goods. Are consumers around the world willing to shoulder the burden of increasing prices? It’s one thing to say you’re in favor of sanctions against Russia; it’s another thing to agree to pay higher prices as a result. High inflation is hitting people around the world. For the moment, people do seem prepared to shoulder that burden.
Often, the nearest safe country shoulders the burden of a refugee crisis. Poland has welcomed millions of refugees from Ukraine. Poles have done a heroic job of opening their arms to people in need; they have been the most generous destination country of any recent refugee crisis, at least in my memory. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. The government is providing school for children, temporary shelter for families, and free transportation. Individuals are opening their homes, cooking meals, and volunteering to help.
People in Poland are shouldering the burden of the refugee crisis. This doesn’t mean it’s bad; it doesn’t mean that they don’t want to do it. It just means that they, in Poland, are making the sacrifice at this time.
I mentioned earlier that you often shoulder a burden for the benefit of others. In this case, Poland is shouldering the burden for the rest of Europe. By welcoming the refugees in their borders, Poland is taking the responsibility that might otherwise fall to other countries. And of course, I should point out that Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and many other European countries have welcomed and accepted refugees, too. The point is only to say that Poland has shouldered the majority of the burden in this case, Poland has done the majority of the hard work here.
Who shoulders the burden of housework where you live? In my house, it’s a 100 percent male activity: after all , I’m the only one who lives here. But in male-female household, it’s often the women who shoulder more of the burden. It doesn’t mean that the man doesn’t contribute, and obviously we’re speaking in generalities.
But a recent survey of European countries found that in all countries, more women did housework than men. They shouldered the greatest burden, and this was especially true in Greece, Hungary, Austria, and Italy. But there were big differences even across Europe. In Sweden, Denmark, and the U.K., men shoulder more of the burden than in other countries; in Sweden and Denmark, over half the men contributed to housework and shouldered some of the burden.
Quote of the Week
Today’s quote of the week is from the American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson. He said, “Every hero becomes a bore at last.” A bore is a dull or uninteresting person. “Every hero,” according to Ralph Waldo Emerson, “becomes a bore at last.”
See you next time!
That’s all for today’s Plain English audio lesson. The video lesson is online at PlainEnglish.com/458. The video lesson is about when you have two options, but one thing is true no matter which option you take, and you’re going to use the phrase “either way.” Just like in all the videos, I’ll tell you what types of situations you can use this in, I’ll show you step by step how to form a sentence, and I’ll give you the chance to practice, and get my personal feedback on what you write. That’s for Plain English Plus+ members and you can find it at PlainEnglish.com/458.
If you’re not yet a Plus+ member, you can join and watch this video—and hundreds of others just like it—by visiting PlainEnglish.com/Plus .
We’ll be back on Thursday with a new lesson. See you then.
Use realistic expressions like a native speaker
