(英会話リスニングスクリプト)
"Office Lady" or "OL"
and "salaryman" aren't really English names of
jobs, but they are used very much in Japan.
The typical OL is single, in her twenties
and sees her OL years as a time of freedom and independence
to enjoy life, to travel to foreign countries and to spend
as much as she wants in the shops.
Many OLs live with their parents or in cheap
company dormitories, giving them the luxury of spending
their paychecks on themselves.
The typical OL is not on a career track,
and will probably leave the company when she gets married.
Even if she does a wonderful job she probably
won't be promoted and therefore, unlike her male colleagues,
she can leave her office when the workday officially ends.
In addition to their secretarial duties,
OLs have to make tea, serve snacks, clean the telephones
and shop for office supplies and food.
Basically, highly-educated young women have
to put up with the boredom of mindless work and problems
ranging from self-centered male bosses to sexual harassment.
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