Sexism row erupts after Deputy Prime Minister says to 'marry women with longer skirts'

 ROME –- A new row over sexism in Italy has erupted in recent days after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, said during an interview that men should marry women who wear “longer skirts” because they are “better mothers”, more “trustworthy” and “serious”. This then prompted leader of the far-right Futuro Nazionale, Roberto Vannacci, to say he prefers women “without skirts.”

 Tajani, who is also leader of Forza Italia, made these comments while taking part of a series of filmed debates at Itaca, a cultural and political festival held in Formello near Rome.

 When asked about marriage advice for his son, the Foreign Minister said that he would advise his son to marry a “woman [who wears] longer skirts” because she would be “a good mother”, “more serious, more reliable [and] less showy” in comparison to a “sexy girl” who wears shorter skirts. According to Tajani, a woman who wears shorter skirts is not suited for marriage because “she has had multiple boyfriends” or she “could cheat.”

 This drew outrage from many across Italy, including several members of the opposition. Elly Schlein, leader of the Partito Democratico, labelled the remarks as “shameful”, saying that “women should not be judged by the length of their skirts.” Matteo Renzi, leader of Italia Viva, said Tajani’s comments were “a 19^th century view of women,” and then posted an AI generated photo of Tajani wearing a mini-skirt on social media. Meanwhile Giuseppe Conte, leader of Movimento 5 Stelle, suggested that Tajani should be remodelled as the “Minister of Italian Customs and Traditions.”  

 Tajani has since apologised, saying his “comments were misinterpreted” and were “taken out of context.” The Forza Italia leader said he had never “thought of offending women.” He added that he had named two women to be ambassadors in Iran and Afghanistan (Paola Amadei and Sabrina Ugolini respectively), showing his “actions in defence of women’s rights.”

 However, the debate has been further ignited following remarks from far-right politician Roberto Vannacci, who weighed in on the row on Sky Tg24 by saying he prefers women "skirtless,” before adding he responded in “light-hearted” manner in response to a “light-hearted” comment.

 This has created further outrage from politicians and feminist groups in Italy, who say Vannacci’s comments show a “regression to an animal state” and “reflect the sexist and patriarchal mindset of many men [which] pervades much of the right wing in this country.”

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