1. Culture May 7th, 2012
Culture
Women protest in Rome for a right to work. © Moscerina, 2011
This past December, there was a rally in Rome, Italy that drew thousands of women who demanded an end to discrimination and a right to work. (Herrmann, 2011). Most Italian women tend to agree that if a woman in Italy wants a job than she will be overworked with staying over-time at her job and then coming to more work at home. Italian men expect their wives to care for their children, along with doing all the house work, which then makes it nearly impossible to keep up with a career that she would have to bend over backwards for. (Rodata’, 2009). Could you imagine being stuck in the 50’s? Because that’s exactly what it’s like for Italian women, although they have more provocative women in the media than American’s did back in the 50’s. (Lachrista, 2010). It’s even common for an Italian man to keep a mistress on the side, which isn’t hard to believe if you look at Italy’s former prim minister, Silvio Berlusconi, who was known for being a womanizer. (Rodota’, 2009). No wonder Alessandra Luchini left Italy to go to America to further her research on nanoscience, although she has stated that isn’t why she left. She came to America for the opportunity she was given to further study the molecular signs that some illnesses and cancers leave in the bloodstream. If she would have came across the same people in Italy, perhaps things would have been different, but it’s hard to imagine that was her only reason to continue her research in America.
"If not now, when?" Italian women protest for the right to work. © Laura Lezza, 2011