year for many women on 8 March will be a day of struggle to keep their jobs: some pass guarding the factories, in other meetings or processions, all excited about the uncertain future they will think that the crisis reserve to them and their families.
The work represented a tool for women's emancipation, autonomy from their fathers and husbands, social identity, entry into public life. Entrance greater numbers of women in the labor market has broken the patriarchal order that the men were reserved for productive work and the public sphere, while for women it was the work of care and the family sphere. However, Italian women have not been able to share the family work on an equal footing with their peers or to obtain a network of social services that would allow a sharing of care work. So have endured a double effort that has made them more vulnerable in the labor market and more vulnerable to the blackmail of the "leaders" or owners, even though they are often better educated the best and most responsible for their male colleagues. Added to this is that motherhood is still a factor of discrimination rather than social attention: companies see it as simply a cost, public offices a hindrance organization. For these reasons, in these years of devaluation of labor and loss of control over working conditions, women have paid the ultimate price: they are most exposed to insecurity, low wages, the rigidity of timetables. The crisis has aggravated this condition so that in case of business difficulties, women are the first to be fired. Therefore increases the already high rate of unemployment among women and many women give up looking for work. Also during these years of unbridled liberalism fell, public resources for childcare, the elderly, the individuals in trouble and was revived a familiar façade, rather than lessen the burden of care for women has passed on it with all the weight of social contradictions and the risk of poverty. The fact that in recent years most governments have opted for policies of monetary transfers, bonus, rather than expanding services has produced a double harm to female employment, while it has reduced the possibility of use el ' reduction of family responsibilities of women workers. It is no coincidence that increases the percentage of women who leave work after the birth of a child (25% according to a recent survey of Bocconi), a phenomenon almost disappeared in previous years.
Decree Law 1167, recently approved by Parliament, will make workers even more vulnerable and exposed to abuse by employers, because it allows the use of arbitration "in equity" for all labor disputes, not only for layoffs without just cause (Article 18 of the Statute of workers), will deprive the workers of the protections provided by applicable laws and collective agreements, as is known precisely to serve all the rights due to labor law, social security, wage and to defend the weakest in the labor market. In other words, workers will be more open to blackmail. Moreover, the Berlusconi government had now shown its true face by removing, in the early, Law 188 of 2007 that prevented to disguise a voluntary dismissal on maternity leave which, although prohibited by Italian law, are still widely practiced. So a March 8
full of bad omens. Nevertheless, the women celebrate, exchange mimosas and hope they do not want to surrender or withdraw, continue to dream of a safe working hours compatible with life choices, services and quality schools for their children, time for your desires. So continue to fight for their jobs and independence.
Betty Leone (responsible for equal opportunities and freedom ecological Left)
