demote 復習

　ガン患者でも治療を続けながら仕事ができる環境が求められています。

Create environment in which cancer patients can work and get treatment

It was an appallingly inappropriate remark, lacking understanding of and consideration for cancer patients.

“They don’t have to work.” Hideo Onishi, a House of Representatives member of the Liberal Democratic Party, fired off this comment at an LDP divisional meeting regarding cancer patients being tormented by passive smoking in the workplace.

Onishi later apologized and tried to explain his intention was to say “cancer patients don’t have to force themselves to work in places where smoking is allowed.” But he did not retract his words. Organizations supporting patients have quite rightly berated Onishi for comments they say made them feel angry and sad.

中略

One in three people working at a company when they are diagnosed with cancer lose their job, either by resigning voluntarily or being dismissed. The reasons given by many of these people are, “I will inconvenience my workplace,” or, “I’m not confident I can work while getting treatment.” Some cancer patients do not tell their workplace about their health problems out of fear of being demoted or forced to resign.

以下省略

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0003723291

　demote /dɪmóʊt/ を取り上げます。ガンであることを言い出しにくくなるような、不安要素を表しているようです。『ライトハウス英和辞典』（第5版　研究社）には「（…）の階級（地位）を下げる、降格させる（from, to）」とありました。反意語は前を表すproが語頭にくるpromoteです。

　LDOCEには “to make someone’s rank or position lower or less important” と定義されています。

　記事の内容からは、 “Some cancer patients do not tell their workplace about their health problems out of fear of being demoted or forced to resign.” とあるように、今の仕事での地位から降格させられることや、強制的に退職させられることを恐れるあまり、ガンについて打ち明けることができない人がいる現状であることが伺えます。（aqua）