WOMAN IN DEFENSE: ITALY'S EXPERIENCE AFTER TWO

UNCLAS ROME 003031 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MARR MCAP MOPS PREL PGOV IT NATO SUBJECT: WOMAN IN DEFENSE: ITALY'S EXPERIENCE AFTER TWO YEARS ¶1. SUMMARY. AS THE GOI ATTEMPTS TO RESTRUCTURE AND "PROFESSIONALIZE" THE MILITARY SERVICE, BRINGING FEMALES IN IS VIEWED AS ONE WAY TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF THE ARMED FORCES. ITALIAN WOMEN, WHETHER FOR ECONOMIC OR SOCIAL UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 ROME 03031 221235Z REASONS, ARE HIGHLY MOTIVATED AND HAVE BEEN INTEGRATED QUICKLY INTO THE MILITARY RANKS. END SUMMARY. ¶2. THE RECENTLY FOUNDED CENTER FOR STUDY OF DEFENSE AND SECURITY ("CENTRO STUDI DIFESA E SICUREZZA) DEDICATED ITS FIRST CONFERENCE ON 19 JUNE TO THE TOPIC OF "WOMEN IN THE ARMED FORCES AND POLICE." PRESIDED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE DEFENSE COMMITTEE IN THE LOWER HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT, LUIGI RAMPONI, THE CONFERENCE DREW REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE MILITARY (INCLUDING A LARGE CONTINGENT OF UNIFORMED FEMALE OFFICERS),POLICE, GOVERNMENT AND PRESS. ¶3. ITALY IS ONE OF THE LAST NATO MEMBERS TO ACCEPT FEMALES IN THE ARMED FORCES. VOLUNTARY FEMALE MILITARY SERVICE WAS INTRODUCED IN AN OCTOBER 20, 1999 LAW. WITH THE OFFICIAL UNEMPLOYMENT RATE AT 9.2 PERCENT AND ITALIAN WOMAN HAVING THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF WORKING HOURS AT HOME IN EUROPE, MANY SEE MILITARY SERVICE AS A WAY TO EARN A LIVING AND TO ESCAPE TRADITIONAL FEMALE ROLES. WHILE MANY NEW ENTRANTS ARE STILL IN MILITARY ACADEMIES (ONE WOMAN IN THE AUDIENCE WAS APPLAUDED FOR BEING AT THE TOP OF HER CLASS),THE EXPERIENCE SO FAR SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN POSITIVE, WITH FEW PROBLEMS. ¶4. ACCORDING TO MINISTER FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STEFANIA PRESTIGIACOMO, HOWEVER, THE 1999 LAW AND SUBSEQUENT REGULATIONS DESIGNED TO AVOID DISCRIMINATION ARE NOT ENOUGH -- ITALY'S TRADITIONAL CULTURAL VIEW OF WOMEN AS HOMEMAKERS ALSO NEEDS TO CHANGE. PRESTIGIACOMO SAID THAT ITALIAN SOCIETY AND THE ARMED FORCES HAVE ACCEPTED WOMEN WELL, BUT THAT THE INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK IS LAGGING. SHE SUGGESTED THAT, DRAWING ON THE EXPERIENCE OF INTERNATIONAL UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 ROME 03031 221235Z ORGANIZATIONS, THE GOI CAN MAKE NUMEROUS SMALL CHANGES IN THE AREAS OF INSURANCE, SCHOOLING, AND HOUSING THAT WILL LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD FOR WOMEN WHOSE MILITARY CAREERS WOULD OTHERWISE ENTAIL GREAT SACRIFICES FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES. CITING THE EXAMPLE OF ONE WOMAN WHO LOST HER PLACE ON THE ADMISSIONS LIST BECAUSE SHE BECAME PREGNANT, PRESTIGIACOMO STRESSED THAT THE MILITARY MUST BECOME MORE "HUMAN." ¶5. ALTHOUGH MOST OF THE CONFERENCE DEALT WITH THE ISSUES AFFECTING WOMEN IN THE MILITARY, SEVERAL SPEAKERS ALSO ADDRESSED THE PROBLEM OF REVERSE DISCRIMINATION. THERE IS SOME CONCERN AMONG THE MILITARY RANKS THAT WOMEN ARE BEING AFFORDED SPECIAL TREATMENT TO THE DETRIMENT OF THEIR MALE COUNTERPARTS. OVERALL, HOWEVER, THE CONSENSUS WAS THAT, TWO YEARS LATER, THE ITALIAN EXPERIENCE WITH WOMEN IN THE MILITARY HAS BEEN POSITIVE. SEMBLER UNCLASSIFIED > 2002ROME03031 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED