Spare a thought today for women in Italy who have had to endure a cack-handed, moronic campaign by the Ministry of Health to launch “Fertility Day” (scheduled for the 22nd September, in response to the low birth rate in the country).
Due to the furore surrounding the campaign – described by some commentators as ‘dystopian’ and reminiscent of fascist-era propaganda in its suggestion that women serve as mere incubators for the State – the official website was hastily closed down yesterday and social media has exploded, with the campaign’s official hashtag #fertilityday spectacularly hijacked to publicize the general disgust felt.
Unfortunately for Italy’s Health Minister, Beatrice Lorenzin, campaign images are still floating around social media and the Italian press. They offend on multiple levels: whether you belong to Italy’s high percentage of youthful unemployed; or are unable to have children; or are still single; or are reluctant to place your faith in precarious maternity arrangements, your low salary, or your short-term work contract (all typical of Italy); or you are gay; or if you simply don’t want to have children at all – anyone in Italy right now could probably find a reason to feel affronted.
I think the overall winner in the category of ma che cazzo! (WTF) is:
1. “Get a move on! Don’t wait for the stork to come”.
Coming in at second, with a special mention for antiquated sexism:
2. “Beauty has no age. But fertility does”.
In third place, in the category of instilling terror in women in their 30s:
3. “Delaying motherhood leads to an only child. If that child arrives at all”.
In fourth place, in the Children of Men category, an advert worthy of the best apocalyptic science fiction:
4. “Fertility is for the common good / the good of society” (like having a water supply, in fact).
Bringing up the rear, men are not entirely left out, with their own special you are destroying your sperm category:
5. “Don’t let your sperm go up in smoke” and “Male fertility is much more vulnerable than you think”.
I can only imagine how enraged I would feel to be subjected to this campaign as an infertile thirty-something woman; it’s hard to believe there is a female Health Minister behind this.
Surely there was a more measured, empathetic way to do this? It will be fascinating to see how this pans out for the actual day itself on 22nd September.
Let’s hope they listen to the infuriated masses, cancel the whole thing altogether and sit down for a serious rethink.
Subtle. At least the Italians are consistent when it comes to the family.
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Shocking stuff.
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What an insanely sick and cruel campaign.
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Awful and I thought support for the childless in the US was bad. They have nothing on Italy.
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Thanks for writing this article. I have on my FB many Italian friends / they are mainly colleagues I met through work and all shared those stuff (and many more, even more hurtful). Needless to say, I just hide all those posts and didn’t really want to know what it is about. Good to know.
Yes, when I was in the best age for having children, I was single. Finding the love of your life sometimes takes longer.
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Wow. Just Wow. The smugness on that lady with the sand timer pissed me off, but then I saw the horrible only child one, and all I could hear the italics of “if it comes at all” in was a whispery horror movie child voice. This is beyond creepy and I can’t believe that it was a real thing. I mean, I can, because our world is messed up, but still… And I was just feeling on Italy because they’re so good with Celiac disease apparently and like, “Man, I should go to Italy” (pipedream)…but maybe not if I’m a timed-out timer, no-stork, waterless, shadow-child lady over there.
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It’s true, they are quite aware of Celiac disease – maybe because they eat so much bread and dough they have to be
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There have been a few campaigns in Hungary as well. I’m happy I don’t live there atm.
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Wow that is just disgraceful! The woman with biological clock message makes me mad. I have quite a few single friends male and female who would like kids but are still waiting for a partner. And that picture of the only child is the worst. Some of us dealing with infertility would be delighted to even have one child!
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It’s absolutely disgusting, I can see why the population are furious
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My husband is Italian and has relatives there. :p There is very little incentive for young people there to have children, even if they’d like to — poor economy, no jobs, little support for young working mothers — and mothers who baby their adult sons, thus giving them no good reason to want to grow up, get married and leave home. :p 😉 Not that it’s anyone’s business…
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Mine is too! His family live over there so i always have an eye on Italy. I’ve heard awful stories about the “dimissioni in bianco”, the blank resignation letter that people are made to sign when they start a job, which is then used to sack them when they get pregnant. Not surprised they object to being ordered to have babies!
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Thank you for this one. Women are not incubators! This campaign was wrong on so many levels. Good grief!
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