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ITALY
- WOMEN AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT |
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The degree of freedom Italian
women enjoy is comparable to
that in Britain or the USA,
despite the somewhat outdated
reputation of Italian men as
predatory lotharios.* In
previous editions of this
guide we have mentioned
whistling, hissing and
catcalling being part of the
Roman experience for some
women. Actually this kind of
behaviour is quite rare: you
are just as likely to find an
intrinsic courtesy in
day-to-day communications
where men will take a great
deal of care to show respect.
It's all too easy to overreact
to unwelcome overtures; don't
take a little light-hearted
flirting or an appreciative ciao
bella! too seriously.
One thing that is dangerous
is being drawn into making
generalizations - the two
female authors of this guide
for example have had very
different experiences
researching the book - but
Italy is an easy country to
travel around for a woman,
whether alone or with female
friends. Certainly there is
none of the alcohol-fuelled
agressive abuse from men that
you might find in English
cities; occasionally you might
find yourself walking into a
caf้ and finding that you
have invaded an all-male
preserve, or be on the
receiving end of a stupid
comment from a group of
adolescent boys. However, if
you're on holiday without a
male partner at any of the
resorts popular with northern
European tourists the
assumption will be made that
you are looking for a quick
fling - fine if you are, but
irritating if you're not.
Basically, as long as you
recognize that you are in a
different culture, and as long
as you only do what you feel
comfortable doing, you don't
need to be unduly concerned.
It is advisable to try and
modify your dress and
behaviour to conform more
closely with that of local
women. Not only should this
reduce the level of hassle you
get, but it will also mean
you're less likely to offend
people's sensibilities.
Incidentally, greater respect
seems to be accorded to older
women - so, for once, age can
work in your favour.
*The problems with Italian men
stemmed from problems caused
by the traditional adoration
of the male-child that lingers
on into adult life. After all,
it is said that Jesus Christ
himself had some of the
attributes of the typical
Italian male: he thought he
was the son of God, lived at
home till he was thirty, and
thought his mother was a
virgin.
Contacts for women
travellers
In most places in Italy,
women are basically as
liberated as they are in
the UK or US - even if few
will admit to being
feminist, a label that
carries largely negative
connotations in Italy.
This social stigma has
resulted in a low level of
structured activity such
as women's groups and
helpline organizations;
despite this, women have
secured great advances in
the fields of equality at
work and good maternity
rights. Another statistic
that may confound your
preconceptions is that
Italy's birth rate is one
of the lowest in Europe.
Periodicals such as Noi
Donne are good sources
of information on culture,
news and politics relating
to women. Rome, Bologna
and Milan are the places
with most action, although
this is fairly limited: il
riflusso , the general
term to describe the
fall-off in political
activity since the
Seventies, has affected
the women's movement as it
has others. The Centro
Documentazione Donne (Via
Galliera 8, Bologna; tel
051.233.863), the Unione
delle Donne Italiane (Via
della Lungara 19,
Trastevere, Rome; tel
06.687.2130), and the
Centro Studi Storiche sul
Movimento di Liberazione
delle Donne (Corso di
Porta Nuova 32, Milan; tel
02.2900.5987), are
organizations with an
academic or institutional
slant on women's issues.
For contacts and Internet
discussion groups try the Spazio
Donna (womens' space)
in La Cittเ Invisibile at
www.citinv.it .
Italy's first woman-focussed
Internet portal is www.supereva.it
- it is laid out very much
like a women's magazine,
though has a "politica
e societa" section
with some interesting
contacts.
Sexual harassment
If you do experience
persistent pestering
it isn't usually
accompanied by any kind of
violent intent, but it can
be annoying and
frustrating nevertheless. Silent
indifference is often
the most effective policy,
as is looking as confident
as possible - if you feel
threatened it's always a
good idea to look as
though you know where you
are going, even if you
don't. Any attempt to hurl
Italian insults in the
direction of the
transgressor is, at best,
likely to cause ridicule -
and at worst, could well
inflame the situation
further.
One thing that's worth
mentioning is that the
Italian sex industry
is a thriving business,
and a woman on her own
wandering around a town
may in some places be
taken to be a prostitute
looking for business. Even
such an innocent
occupation as waiting
alone at a bus stop can
bring unwelcome attention
- this obviously doesn't
mean every street or bus
stop but there are certain
places (one particular
road in Rimini, for
example) where car doors
will mysteriously spring
open as you pass by; you
can pretty quickly work
out what's going on and
the obvious thing to do is
walk somewhere else.
Flashers in
parks are another common
occurrence, and, as parks
are often a pick-up place,
your motives for sitting
quietly in the sun may be
misconstrued. This doesn't
mean it's impossible to go
there, just that it's more
relaxing if you pick a
spot where there are other
people around.
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