No matter where you move to in the world, you will come across all sorts of cultural differences and challenges. In a way that’s a part of the appeal of becoming an expatriate – i.e., you get to experience new countries and cultures up close and personal, and in a way that tourists never can.
However, for expatriate women moving to live in Italy, discovering that sexism is crippling the nation can be an unpleasant introduction to their ‘dream’ new life abroad. The extreme subjugation of women in the workplace is particularly shocking.
As a professional woman seeking employment in Italy you needn’t worry about smashing through the glass ceiling, because if you even get a foot in the door you’ll be lucky. But are changes afoot? Can expatriate women help lead their Italian sisters to a life beyond Berlusconi and his national network of dirty old men?
It’s a Man’s World – in Italy at Least…
When it comes to Italy it’s definitely a man’s world – and if you don’t believe us, in their latest Gender Gap Report the World Economic Forum placed Italy 74th in the world in terms of its treatment of women.
Let’s put that into perspective shall we? That’s behind nations like Ghana, Malawi and Venezuela!
If you’re a woman contemplating ‘la dolce vita,’ you need to be well prepared for what you will face when living in Italy.
Just How Bad is it for Women Living in Italy?
The extent to which Berlusconi’s government and media empire has retarded the development of Italy in terms of gender equality can be demonstrated if we once again refer back to the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Report.
In 2010 Italy ranked seven places lower than it did when Berlusconi returned to office in 2008. I.e., it’s been getting worse for women in Italy year-on-year since they burned their bras and demanded equality back in the 1970s.
Nowadays only 45% of Italian women work outside the home. Once again, to put that into perspective that’s the lowest rate in the entire European Union – and it’s a rate which has remained the same for the past five years.
Professional women who do manage to break into the workplace earn 20% less than men, they hold fewer than 10% of management positions in corporate Italy, and they still have to find 21 hours a week to manage all the housework.
They have almost an hour and a half less leisure time a day compared to their men-folk – of whom 95% have never even loaded a washing machine according to the (probably very small) Association for Italian Househusbands.
Summing up the findings of last year’s Gender Gap Report, journalist Barbie Nadeau commented: “In every category but education, Italy lags badly: in labor participation, 87th place worldwide; wage parity, 121st; opportunity for women to take leadership positions, 97th. In the report’s overall ranking, Italy now places 74th in the world for its treatment of women—behind Colombia, Peru, and Vietnam, and seven places lower than it did when Berlusconi returned to office in 2008. “Italy continues to be one of the lowest-ranking countries in the EU and deteriorate[d] further over the last year,” the report says.”
Is There Any Change in Sight for Women in Italy?
This is a side to Italy that the wider world had no knowledge of – until Berlusconi pushed his brand of boorish, leering sexism one step too far. He allegedly abused his position so absolutely and paid to have sex with an underage girl.
It was the highlighting of this issue that finally resulted in Italian women saying we’ve had enough of the way we’re treated in Italy. They demonstrated in their thousands across Italy in February, and one women’s group is now attempting to put Berlusconi on trial for his absolute degradation of women.
However, for professional expatriate women in the work place in Italy, nothing has yet changed.
One particularly fascinating and emotionally charged thread on the excellent expatsinitaly.com forum covers this theme in depth with one member commenting on the issue: “I’m sorry to tell you that it’s an Italian male manager problem. My colleague tried for 7 years to get promoted to sales and was told bluntly by a male manager, that he wanted a man [and] not a woman…..cause you know, eventually she would get pregnant and take time off. She only got promoted because another sales person did get pregnant and was asked to leave the company.
“Italy is still a patriarchal country and very much misogynist when it comes to women in the work place. In my multinational company, there is one woman manager (no kids) ...that says it all….”
How Expatriate Women Can Help Change Attitudes in Italy
As mentioned, fortunately Italian women are starting to stand up to the inequality they face…and not before time.
In the years that they have been subjected to absolute inequality in terms of their portrayal in the media and in terms of their roles in the household and work place, domestic violence has risen in Italy. And is it any surprise that crimes against women such as rape have also increased when the nation’s leader comments that: “We don’t have enough soldiers to stop rape because our women are so beautiful.”
Professional expatriate women living and working in Italy need to be prepared for the sexism they will face. Emphasis will be placed on their age, marital status and the number of children they have when applying for work – this is because employers don’t want to employ women who may leave to have children, or who may need to take time off if their children are ill.
In the US and the UK we’ve successfully fought and had laws and legislation changed to ensure we’re no longer so (obviously) discriminated against in the work place. But in Italy there is a long way to go.
Expatriate women can ‘educate’ their female Italian counterparts so that they can seek to empower themselves. However, they will be banging their head against a wall for no good reason if they fight an employer who is refusing them a job or refusing them a promotion.
We believe it’s worth highlighting obvious and ridiculous prejudices whenever it’s safe to do so – and women shouldn’t be afraid of pointing out to a man making a sexist decision that he’s desperately out of fashion. After all, as Italian men are all so pathetically obsessed with their looks and with fashion in general, bringing it down to this level may be the only way you’ll be heard.
Having said that, Italian men seemingly find strong and challenging women aggressive and impossible to work with – so you’re possibly in a no win situation!
What can expat women do therefore? Not put up with the untenable, consistently draw colleagues’ attention to inequality, seek to educate fellow women about equal rights, and never give in to Berlusconi’s national network of pervy old sleezeballs.
The alternative it putting up, shutting up and looking pretty whilst remaining chained to the kitchen sink – I think not!
Diane - Expatriate Tax Says:
Tue, November 08, 2011 at 08:43 PM
Very Informative. I just launched my own expatriate tax return service for expatriates.