Posted by carolineh on Monday, May 29, 2017 in 2017 Blog post.

At around 11:15 am on May 22 I interviewed Vittoria Cirello, our tour guide for many of our excursions around Sicily and the director of the language school Culturforum. I asked her several questions about her day-to-day life here in Sicily and the role of women in Sicilian culture. Vittoria lives in a small village near Palermo. During the work week, she takes the 7:20 train from her village to Cefalú, where she runs Culturforum. At Culturforum, Vittoria teaches classes and takes care of administrative responsibilities. During the summer, she spends a lot of time taking tour groups on excursions around the island, as she has done many times for us throughout the month.

 

When I asked Vittoria about the role of women in Sicilian society, she told me that she has experienced two different Sicily’s in terms of gender roles in her lifetime. Vittoria was born in the 60’s, and at that time she knew women who had never been into a bar. She noted that the role of and expectations for Sicilian women really did not change much from the start of the 19^th century until the 1970’s, which is shocking. Women took care of the family, and although society was described as patriarchal, it was actually the women who handled money. Men went to the office and worked, but women were responsible for all family duties and kept the household running smoothly. Vittoria compared them to the First Ladies of the United States: although presidents tend to get all of the credit for the work done during their terms, powerful First Ladies have played significant roles in guiding our country’s initiatives for improvement.

 

When asked about the shift in the role of Sicilian women throughout her lifetime, Vittoria told me about the major strides have been made over the past 50 years. Women are now capable of becoming financially independent because they can hold jobs outside of the house. They are no longer expected by their families to marry at a young age, so they can concentrate on other interests and passions. In fact, Vittoria mentioned that getting married is extremely difficult if both partners are not working. Because a wedding is so financially taxing, many couples today choose to live together without getting married. Vittoria discussed how this dynamic is very different from that of her youth; she was expected to marry by age 25.

 

Because women have become more independent, they seek out higher education and hold positions within the government. Vittoria explained that there is a higher rate of educated women than men in Italy and that women tend to have more success at universities than men do. These facts impressed me. The role of women in politics is a little more complicated. Italian law dictates that a certain number of female candidates must be chosen in each election to fill the available positions. This applies to elections on every level of government (local, national, etc.). For example, a set number of seats in Parliament must be occupied by women. Although this idea is good in theory, Vittoria explained why it is not very successful. There is little interest among Italian women in holding government positions, so officials are always looking for women to participate so that they can reach the necessary quota. Because of this lack of interest, the women are not typically very productive in their positions. Vittoria described the women in Parliament as dolls; they are elected because they are attractive and do not possess their own ideas or contribute in any way. Vittoria expressed her distaste for the ineffectiveness of the women in these positions. She did mention, however, that there are some female mayors in Sicily who actually function as productive, contributing members of the political system.

 

Although women have taken significant steps toward improving gender equality in Sicilian society, Vittoria remarked that the men of Sicily seem to be stuck in the past. They still expect women to fulfill all household duties, which Vittoria believes has contributed to the extremely high divorce rate in Italy. Men do not seem to realize that women are individuals with their own goals and responsibilities who cannot dedicate their entire lives to looking after another person. Vittoria noted that this mindset is prevalent in Sicily but that younger men are starting to realize that they cannot maintain healthy marital relationships if they continue to think in this way.

 

Vittoria blames the self-centered, condescending mindset of Sicilian men on their mothers. She explained that men who grow up being coddled by their mothers become accustomed to women taking care of them. Vittoria told me how this pattern developed in her own family growing up: starting at age 10 her mother expected her to help out with chores and household duties. Her mother did not expect the same of her brothers. When Vittoria’s son moved out to live on his own, other mothers would ask her when he was coming home to have her do his laundry. She laughed as she told me how she explained to them that he was the one that did her laundry when he was home! Vittoria strongly emphasized the important role that parents play in shaping their children’s values.

 

Vittoria and I also discussed the ideals that Sicilian women feel pressure to conform to in this society. As she talked, I realized that they are very similar to pressures that American women face. Sicilian women want to be skinny, fit, young, and attractive. Vittoria mentioned that these ideals come from the “showgirls” on TV. Although she has never watched American TV, Vittoria told me that she has heard that Italian TV is worse when it comes to objectifying and exploiting women. According to people she knows, it is worse than the programming in every other European country as well, other than Spain. Vittoria explained that women on Italian TV programs simply stand around looking pretty as men carry the plot of the show. Her explanation of the women’s role in these programs reminded me of the concept of a “trophy wife” in the United States. Just as some young girls in the U.S. grow up with the goal of becoming a trophy wife, young girls in Italy want to become showgirls when they grow older. Vittoria found the fact that young girls want to become mindless showgirls instead of independent, educated women very depressing.

 

Progress toward gender equality in Sicily seems to be appearing in the same forms as it does in America, but at a much slower pace. More and more women are moving from the household into higher education, politics, and the workplace. Much progress has been made in the realm of higher education, but an unequal distribution of high-paying jobs and political power between men and women still exists. American women face these inequalities as well, but the differences seem to be much less drastic than they are in Sicily. Sicilian and American women feel similar pressures regarding physical appearance, but Sicilian society seems to enforce these ideals in a much harsher manner through television. This is hard to believe considering the immense pressure put on women through American media and advertising. I really enjoyed hearing Vittoria’s thoughts on an issue that we both believe is universal and enduring. It is up to our generation and generations after us to continue to exemplify the impressive potential and capabilities of women in realms of society that have traditionally been dominated by men.

Attached below are some audio clips from my interview with Vittoria:

Marriage Becoming Difficult

Older Women Conforming to Ideals

Showgirls in Government

Showgirls

Ideals for Sicilian Women

Vittoria’s Responsibilities Growing Up

Men’s Expectation for Working Women

Aspirations of Young Girls

Closing Thoughts