After many years of heated debate, in 2016 the Italian parliament approved a law to regulate same-sex civil unions. Although this can be considered a significant step towards the equality of lesbian and gay couples, the law preserves legal differences between heterosexual marriage and homosexual union and does not guarantee the rights of lesbian and gay parents and their children. In this article, we analyze the public debate on same-sex couples and gay and lesbian parenting that occurred in Italy while the parliament was discussing the law. Findings highlight that the 'natural order' argument and the irreducible differences between heterosexual marriage and same-sex union are the bedrock of the current expression of heteronormativity in Italy. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion
Although same-sex couples and their offspring have been legitimised in many European countries, heteronormativity is still embedded in institutions and practices, thereby continuing to affect the daily lives of LGBT individuals. Italy represents a clear example of the hegemonic power of heteronormativity because of the fierce opposition to recognising lesbian and gay parenthood among many parts of society. This paper focuses on the peculiarities of the Italian scenario with the aim of highlighting how heteronormativity works in contemporary neoliberal contexts. By drawing on queer and feminist perspectives, the article also analyses how LGBT equal rights demands can contribute, to some extent, to reinforcing heteronormativity. Implications concerning strategies for challenging the regime of normality and queering kinship are discussed. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion
The gender gap in politics has been explained as being due to individual, social, economical and cultural determinants. This research, based on eleven biographical interviews to women and men involved in politics, is aimed at investigating participants' explanations of women's underrepresentation in politics, with particular attention to the mechanisms of construction and preservation of gender inequalities. Participants' discourses were categorized into four thematic areas: women's lack of interest towards politics; the unequal distribution of family work; the difficulties of integration into a masculine and sexist context; the cultural processes of gender roles construction. Results highlighted the need to disclose discourses that construct politics as a male institutional context, as well as the need to identify the key factors that may contribute to plan cultural interventions that promote gender equality in politics. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion
In 2016, the Italian Parliament passed a law that extended to same-sex couples most of the rights of married heterosexual couples. However, the possibility of a partner in a same-sex couple adopting the biological children of the other partner was so controversial that it had to be deleted in order for the law to pass, thus denying lesbian and gay parents the legal protection they need. In this article, we analyze the speeches of Parliamentarians who opposed the section of the bill concerning lesbian and gay parenthood. The empirical analysis shows different discursive strategies deployed by MPs to combat the challenges to the heteronormative family, whose common reference is the hegemonic model of gender which has characterized the resistance of the Catholic Church to the recognition of non-heterosexual reproduction and kinship. Findings highlight that the opposition to the recognition of gay and lesbian parents contributes to reiterating restrictive standards of motherhood and to maintaining the institutionalization of sexualities and reproduction within the patriarchal order. Implications of the research findings for public and social policies are discussed. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion
Purpose – Despite the ongoing increase of women in the top positions, they are still underrepresented in politics. The studies that primarily focus on women's underrepresentation in politics neglect the role of gender as a category that structures and makes sense of social practices. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mechanisms that regulate the contemporary gender order in politics through discourse analysis and the contribution of the critical feminist perspective. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on 30 biographical interviews with Italian politicians and focuses on the account of their political experiences and on the meanings attributed to these. Findings – The results of this paper underline the tendency to either absolve or blame women for gender inequality in politics through different interpretative repertoires: "Women's disinterest toward politics," "Politics as masculine context" and "Politics–family unbalance." The analysis allowed to unravel the way in which the discursive practices create and reproduce the hegemonic gender order in politics. Research limitations/implications – The research is limited to 30 qualitative interviews, and so results cannot be generalized. Practical implications – The findings of this paper highlight the importance of exploring issues relating to the gender gap in politics and stress the need to implement actions to promote gender equality in politics. Originality/value – The paper contributes to an understanding of women's underrepresentation in politics and offers causes for reflection on a phenomenon that has profound implications for our society. Keywords Gender, Discourse analysis, Politics, Critical feminist perspective Paper type Research paper ; info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion
