Tens of thousands of women gathered in more than 60 Italian cities on Sunday to protest against Prime Minister Berlusconi, who they say is degrading women with his sex scandals. The Italian judiciary recently opened an investigation into the so-called "Rubygate" affair in which the prime minister is suspected of abuse of power and prostitution with a minor, and for many Italian women the scandal was the last straw. The BBC reports that banners reading "Italy is not a brothel" were seen, and that smaller protests were organized in Brussels, Madrid, Lisbon, Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, and even Tokyo.
Protests were started by 2 sisters, actresses Francesca and Cristina Comencini, who argue that Berlusconi's sexist outbursts are merely a reflection of misogyny in Italian society, to which neither the right nor the left political parties have ever adequately responded. They also criticize discrimination against women in the labor market, due to the lack of kindergartens and part-time jobs. Italy has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe, 1.4 children per family, and only 501% of women work (the EU average is 591%), although they are on average better educated than men.
"The importance of these protests is that they involve men and women, young and old, intellectuals and workers," said the mayor of Naples. Rosa Russo Iervolino who participated in a parade organized in her city. The question arises whether Italians have finally had enough of the whole world looking at their country as a laughing stock. ABC correspondent Emma Alberici It is estimated that around one million Italian citizens participated in Sunday's protests.
The article was taken from the internet portal voxfeminae.net
