Present Prospects for Women's Political Participation in Italy
| Author | Maria Letizia Caddeo,Mino Vianello |
| Date | 01 July 1985 |
| Published date | 01 July 1985 |
| DOI | 10.1177/019251218500600306 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
PRESENT PROSPECTS
FOR
WOMEN’S
POLITICAL
PARTICIPATION
IN
ITALY
MARIA LETIZIA
CADDEO
and
MINO
VIANELLO
After the war, Italy passed through a notable but uneven period of economic deselop-
ment. The great changes in the economic structure of the country were
not
accom-
panied by policies directed toward changing the traditional style
of
Iife and of the
family, where the women had the function of caring for and satisfying the various
needs of the members
of
the family. The lack of social services and infrastructures
is consequently a strong brake
on
women’s opportunities to get out of the house and
enter the working world. Therefore, notwithstanding legislation aimed at equality,
women in Italy are few with regard to
work,
almost absent from public life, and above
all absent from professional, political, and governing elites.
HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND
To
understand the present situation of women in Italy requires
a
brief
look
at
the country’s recent history.
In
the
20
years from
1949
to
1969,
industrial production increased fivefold. This caused
a
phenomenal expansion of industrial and tertiary
labor
and
a
dwindling
of the agricultural labor force. Industrial growth has been second only
to
that in the Federal Republic of Germany, and much more pro-
nounced than in any other European country. The Italian economy
has tended toward
a
dual structure: one part export-oriented, backed
by advanced technology, low labor intensity, and high efficiency; the
other characterized by relatively backward technology, low produc-
tivity, and
an
orientation
to
the internal market.
The growth
of
the export-oriented sector has unavoidably resulted
in
a
concentration
of
investments in the developed northwestern parts
of
the country. The public sector expanded excessively and parasitically
to provide income for (more often
than
not) the least qualified strata
of
the population that were moving away from agriculture. The ser-
vice sector decreased from
27.5%
in
1951
to
22.3%
in
1972.
This meant
International Political Science Review,
Vol.
6
No.
3,
1985
317-331
e
1985
International Political Science Association
317
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