Something I was surprised to learn was that more women get an education than men do in Italy. I thought it would've been the other way around. High school is more populated by Italian women than men. It was not always like this; however, percentages of women attending school have gone up over the years. In 1950 only seven percent of girls between the ages of fourteen and seventeen attended school, while twelve percent of boys did. This statistic changed though in 1998-99, 84 percent of girls attended high school, while only 81 percent of boys did. At the university level there was also a higher level of women then their was males by the late 1990s. With this increase of women going to school, it helps them find work.
The role of being a traditional housewife to Italian women is no longer appealing. Young housewives see this job as more of a necessity than a choice. Working mothers are a lot happier than mothers who are forced to stay home all day even though they are weighed down by the amount of hours they work per week which can get up to sixty hours.
Italian men contribute very little to any of the housework or childcare. Husband and wife relations are still very traditional. Even children are asked to do little housework. Unfortunately for girls, boys are asked to do less housework and have more freedom, while girls are more controlled by their parents.
The reduction in men doing housework and taking care of the children can probably explain why couples aren't choosing to have children anymore. Italian mothers choose not to leave the labor market after having a child because it is too difficult to get back into it. Employers are looking for either men or childless women. Part-time jobs are also not common in Italy and it is hard for families to live off of one salary income. Therefore couples are choosing to not have children in order to be able to support themselves. The situation would be different if the man would help with the housework and childcare, but otherwise the woman most likely can only have one child, if that, in order to stay in the job market.
Working positions of women vary depending on their location in Italy. The majority of mothers who have a child from ages 0 to 2 are working mothers (47.4 percent) while 42.8 percent are housewives. In the north 63.1 percent of mother's with young children are working, 54.95 percent in the center, and in the south it's 31 percent. However in the south 53.7 percent of mothers are housewives.
Women's role in society. (2010, June 13). Retrieved from
http://womenroleinsociety.blogspot.com/2010/06/italy-education-and-gender-roles.html
Image: http://img.ehowcdn.com/article-new/ehow/images/a07/on/mn/italianthemed-picnic-800x800.jpg
The role of being a traditional housewife to Italian women is no longer appealing. Young housewives see this job as more of a necessity than a choice. Working mothers are a lot happier than mothers who are forced to stay home all day even though they are weighed down by the amount of hours they work per week which can get up to sixty hours.
Italian men contribute very little to any of the housework or childcare. Husband and wife relations are still very traditional. Even children are asked to do little housework. Unfortunately for girls, boys are asked to do less housework and have more freedom, while girls are more controlled by their parents.
The reduction in men doing housework and taking care of the children can probably explain why couples aren't choosing to have children anymore. Italian mothers choose not to leave the labor market after having a child because it is too difficult to get back into it. Employers are looking for either men or childless women. Part-time jobs are also not common in Italy and it is hard for families to live off of one salary income. Therefore couples are choosing to not have children in order to be able to support themselves. The situation would be different if the man would help with the housework and childcare, but otherwise the woman most likely can only have one child, if that, in order to stay in the job market.
Working positions of women vary depending on their location in Italy. The majority of mothers who have a child from ages 0 to 2 are working mothers (47.4 percent) while 42.8 percent are housewives. In the north 63.1 percent of mother's with young children are working, 54.95 percent in the center, and in the south it's 31 percent. However in the south 53.7 percent of mothers are housewives.
Women's role in society. (2010, June 13). Retrieved from
http://womenroleinsociety.blogspot.com/2010/06/italy-education-and-gender-roles.html
Image: http://img.ehowcdn.com/article-new/ehow/images/a07/on/mn/italianthemed-picnic-800x800.jpg
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