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  • Gender mainstreaming
    • What is Gender mainstreaming
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      • Gender Equality Training
        • Back to toolkit page
        • What is Gender Equality Training
        • Why invest in Gender Equality Training
        • Who should use Gender Equality Training
        • Step-by-step guide to Gender Equality Training
            • 1. Assess the needs
            • 2. Integrate initiatives to broader strategy
            • 3. Ensure sufficient resources
            • 4. Write good terms of reference
            • 5. Select a trainer
            • 6. Engage in the needs assessment
            • 7. Actively participate in the initiative
            • 8. Invite others to join in
            • 9. Monitoring framework and procedures
            • 10. Set up an evaluation framework
            • 11. Assess long-term impacts
            • 12. Give space and support others
        • Designing effective Gender Equality Training
        • Gender Equality Training in the EU
        • Good Practices on Gender Equality Training
        • More resources on Gender Equality Training
        • More on EIGE's work on Gender Equality Training
      • Gender Impact Assessment
        • Back to toolkit page
        • What is Gender Impact Assessment
        • Why use Gender Impact Assessment
        • Who should use Gender Impact Assessment
        • When to use Gender Impact Assessment
        • Guide to Gender Impact Assessment
          • Step 1: Definition of policy purpose
          • Step 2: Checking gender relevance
          • Step 3: Gender-sensitive analysis
          • Step 4: Weighing gender impact
          • Step 5: Findings and proposals for improvement
        • Following up on gender impact assessment
        • General considerations
        • Examples from the EU
            • European Commission
            • Austria
            • Belgium
            • Denmark
            • Finland
            • Sweden
            • Basque country
            • Catalonia
            • Lower Saxony
            • Swedish municipalities
      • Institutional Transformation
        • Back to toolkit page
        • What is Institutional Transformation
          • Institutional transformation and gender: Key points
          • Gender organisations
          • Types of institutions
          • Gender mainstreaming and institutional transformation
          • Dimensions of gender mainstreaming in institutions: The SPO model
        • Why focus on Institutional Transformation
          • Motivation model
        • Who the guide is for
        • Guide to Institutional Transformation
            • 1. Creating accountability and strengthening commitment
            • 2. Allocating resources
            • 3. Conducting an organisational analysis
            • 4. Developing a strategy and work plan
            • 5. Establishing a support structure
            • 6. Setting gender equality objectives
            • 7. Communicating gender mainstreaming
            • 8. Introducing gender mainstreaming
            • 9. Developing gender equality competence
            • 10. Establishing a gender information management system
            • 11. Launching gender equality action plans
            • 12. Promotional equal opportunities
            • 13. Monitoring and steering organisational change
        • Dealing with resistance
          • Discourse level
          • Individual level
          • Organisational level
          • Statements and reactions
        • Checklist: Key questions for change
        • Examples from the EU
            • 1. Strengthening accountability
            • 2. Allocating resources
            • 3. Organisational analysis
            • 4. Developing a strategy and working plan
            • 5. Establishing a support structure
            • 6. Setting objectives
            • 7. Communicating gender mainstreaming
            • 8. Introducing methods and tools
            • 9. Developing Competence
            • 10. Establishing a gender information management system
            • 11. Launching action plans
            • 12. Promoting within an organisation
            • 13. Monitoring and evaluating
      • Gender Equality in Academia and Research
        • Back to toolkit page
        • WHAT
          • What is a Gender Equality Plan?
          • Terms and definitions
          • Which stakeholders need to be engaged into a GEP
          • About the Gear Tool
        • WHY
          • Horizon Europe GEP criterion
          • Gender Equality in Research and Innovation
          • Why change must be structural
          • Rationale for gender equality change in research and innovation
          • GEAR step-by-step guide for research organisations, universities and public bodies
            • Step 1: Getting started
            • Step 2: Analysing and assessing the state-of-play in the institution
            • Step 3: Setting up a Gender Equality Plan
            • Step 4: Implementing a Gender Equality Plan
            • Step 5: Monitoring progress and evaluating a Gender Equality Plan
            • Step 6: What comes after the Gender Equality Plan?
          • GEAR step-by-step guide for research funding bodies
            • Step 1: Getting started
            • Step 2: Analysing and assessing the state-of-play in the institution
            • Step 3: Setting up a Gender Equality Plan
            • Step 4: Implementing a Gender Equality Plan
            • Step 5: Monitoring progress and evaluating a Gender Equality Plan
            • Step 6: What comes after the Gender Equality Plan?
          • GEAR action toolbox
            • Work-life balance and organisational culture
            • Gender balance in leadership and decision making
            • Gender equality in recruitment and career progression
            • Integration of the sex/gender dimension into research and teaching content
            • Measures against gender-based violence including sexual harassment
            • Measures mitigating the effect of COVID-19
            • Data collection and monitoring
            • Training: awareness-raising and capacity building
            • GEP development and implementation
            • Gender-sensitive research funding procedures
          • Success factors for GEP development and implementation
          • Challenges & resistance
        • WHERE
          • Austria
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          • Croatia
          • Cyprus
          • Czechia
          • Denmark
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      • Gender-sensitive Parliaments
        • Back to toolkit page
        • What is the tool for?
        • Who is the tool for?
        • How to use the tool
        • Self-assessment, scoring and interpretation of parliament gender-sensitivity
          • AREA 1 – Women and men have equal opportunities to ENTER the parliament
            • Domain 1 – Electoral system and gender quotas
            • Domain 2 - Political party/group procedures
            • Domain 3 – Recruitment of parliamentary employees
          • AREA 2 – Women and men have equal opportunities to INFLUENCE the parliament’s working procedures
            • Domain 1 – Parliamentarians’ presence and capacity in a parliament
            • Domain 2 – Structure and organisation
            • Domain 3 – Staff organisation and procedures
          • AREA 3 – Women’s interests and concerns have adequate SPACE on parliamentary agenda
            • Domain 1 – Gender mainstreaming structures
            • Domain 2 – Gender mainstreaming tools in parliamentary work
            • Domain 3 – Gender mainstreaming tools for staff
          • AREA 4 – The parliament produces gender-sensitive LEGISLATION
            • Domain 1 – Gender equality laws and policies
            • Domain 2 – Gender mainstreaming in laws
            • Domain 3 – Oversight of gender equality
          • AREA 5 – The parliament complies with its SYMBOLIC function
            • Domain 1 – Symbolic meanings of spaces
            • Domain 2 – Gender equality in external communication and representation
        • How gender-sensitive are parliaments in the EU?
        • Examples of gender-sensitive practices in parliaments
          • Women and men have equal opportunities to ENTER the parliament
          • Women and men have equal opportunities to INFLUENCE the parliament’s working procedures
          • Women’s interests and concerns have adequate SPACE on parliamentary agenda
          • The parliament produces gender-sensitive LEGISLATION
          • The parliament complies with its SYMBOLIC function
        • Glossary of terms
        • References and resources
      • Gender Budgeting
        • Back to toolkit page
        • Who is this toolkit for?
        • What is gender budgeting?
          • Introducing gender budgeting
          • Gender budgeting in women’s and men’s lived realities
          • What does gender budgeting involve in practice?
          • Gender budgeting in the EU Funds
            • Gender budgeting as a way of complying with EU legal requirements
            • Gender budgeting as a way of promoting accountability and transparency
            • Gender budgeting as a way of increasing participation in budget processes
            • Gender budgeting as a way of advancing gender equality
        • Why is gender budgeting important in the EU Funds?
          • Three reasons why gender budgeting is crucial in the EU Funds
        • How can we apply gender budgeting in the EU Funds? Practical tools and Member State examples
          • Tool 1: Connecting the EU Funds with the EU’s regulatory framework on gender equality
            • Legislative and regulatory basis for EU policies on gender equality
            • Concrete requirements for considering gender equality within the EU Funds
            • EU Funds’ enabling conditions
            • Additional resources
          • Tool 2: Analysing gender inequalities and gender needs at the national and sub-national levels
            • Steps to assess and analyse gender inequalities and needs
            • Step 1. Collect information and disaggregated data on the target group
            • Step 2. Identify existing gender inequalities and their underlying causes
            • Step 3. Consult directly with the target groups
            • Step 4. Draw conclusions
            • Additional resources
          • Tool 3: Operationalising gender equality in policy objectives and specific objectives/measures
            • Steps for operationalising gender equality in Partnership Agreements and Operational Programmes
            • General guidance on operationalising gender equality when developing policy objectives, specific objectives and measures
            • Checklist for putting the horizontal principle of gender equality into practice in Partnership Agreements
            • Checklist for putting the horizontal principle of gender equality into practice in Operational Programmes
            • Examples of integrating gender equality as a horizontal principle in policy objectives and specific objectives
          • Tool 4: Coordination and complementarities between the EU Funds to advance work-life balance
            • Steps for enhancing coordination and complementarities between the funds
            • Step 1. Alignment with the EU’s strategic engagement goals for gender equality and national gender equality goals
            • Steps 2 and 3. Identifying and developing possible work-life balance interventions
            • Step 4. Following-up through the use of indicators within M&E systems
            • Fictional case study 1: reconciling paid work and childcare
            • Fictional case study 2: reconciling shift work and childcare
            • Fictional case study 3: balancing care for oneself and others
            • Fictional case study 4: reconciling care for children and older persons with shift work
            • Additional resources
          • Tool 5: Defining partnerships and multi-level governance
            • Steps for defining partnerships and multi-level governance
            • Additional resources
          • Tool 6: Developing quantitative and qualitative indicators for advancing gender equality
            • Steps to develop quantitative and qualitative indicators
            • ERDF and Cohesion Fund
            • ESF+
            • EMFF
            • Additional resources
          • Tool 7: Defining gender-sensitive project selection criteria
            • Steps to support gender-sensitive project development and selection
            • Checklist to guide the preparation of calls for project proposals
            • Checklist for project selection criteria
            • Supplementary tool 7.a: Gender-responsive agreements with project implementers
          • Tool 8: Tracking resource allocations for gender equality in the EU Funds
            • Ensuring gender relevance in EU Funds
            • The tracking system
            • Steps for tracking resource allocations on gender equality
            • Step 1: Ex ante approach
            • Step 2: Ex post approach
            • Examples of Step 2a
            • Annex 1: Ex ante assignment of intervention fields to the gender equality dimension codes
            • Annex 2: The EU’s gender equality legal and policy framework
          • Tool 9: Mainstreaming gender equality in project design
            • Steps to mainstream gender equality in project design
            • Step 1. Alignment with partnership agreements’ and Operational Programmes’ gender objectives and indicators
            • Step 2. Project development and application
            • Step 3. Project implementation
            • Step 4. Project assessment
          • Tool 10: Integrating a gender perspective in monitoring and evaluation processes
            • Steps to integrate a gender perspective in M&E processes
            • Additional resources
          • Tool 11: Reporting on resource spending for gender equality in the EU Funds
            • Tracking expenditures for gender equality
            • Additional resources
          • References
          • Abbreviations
          • Acknowledgements
      • Gender-responsive Public Procurement
        • Back to toolkit page
        • Who is this toolkit for?
          • Guiding you through the toolkit
        • What is gender-responsive public procurement?
          • How is gender-responsive public procurement linked to gender equality?
          • How is gender-responsive public procurement linked to gender budgeting?
          • Five reasons why gender-responsive public procurement
          • Why was this toolkit produced
        • Gender-responsive public procurement in practice
          • Legal framework cross-references gender equality and public procurement
          • Public procurement strategies cover GRPP
          • Gender equality action plans or strategies mention public procurement
          • Capacity-building programmes, support structures
          • Regular collaboration between gender equality bodies
          • Effective monitoring and reporting systems on the use of GRPP
          • Tool 1:Self-assessment questionnaire about the legal
          • Tool 2: Overview of the legislative, regulatory and policy frameworks
        • How to include gender aspects in tendering procedures
          • Pre-procurement stage
            • Needs assessment
            • Tool 3: Decision tree to assess the gender relevance
            • Preliminary market consultation
            • Tool 4: Guiding questions for needs assessment
            • Defining the subject matter of the contract
            • Choosing the procedure
            • Tool 5: Decision tree for the choice of procedure for GRPP
            • Dividing the contract into lots
            • Tool 6: Guiding questions for dividing contracts into lots for GRPP
            • Light regime for social, health and other specific services
            • Tool 7: Guiding questions for applying GRPP under the light regime
            • Tool 8: Guiding questions for applying GRPP under the light regime
            • Reserved contracts
            • Preparing tender documents
          • Procurement stage
            • Exclusion grounds
            • Selection criteria
            • Technical specifications
            • Tool 9: Decision tree for setting GRPP selection criteria
            • Award criteria
            • Tool 10: Formulating GRPP award criteria
            • Tool 11: Bidders’ concepts to ensure the integration of gender aspects
            • Use of labels/certifications
          • Post-procurement stage
            • Tool 12: Checklist for including GRPP contract performance conditions
            • Subcontracting
            • Monitoring
            • Reporting
            • Tool 13: Template for a GRPP monitoring and reporting plan
        • References
        • Additional resources
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      • About EIGE's methods and tools
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      • Examples of methods and tools
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    • Country specific information
      • Belgium
        • Overview
        • Browse all Belgium content
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    • EIGE’s publications on Gender mainstreaming
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    • What is gender-based violence?
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      • Data collection on violence against women
      • About the tool
      • Administrative data sources
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    • Analysis of EU directives from a gendered perspective
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      • Risk estimations
    • Risk assessment and risk management by police
      • Risk assessment principles and steps
          • Principle 1: Prioritising victim safety
          • Principle 2: Adopting a victim-centred approach
          • Principle 3: Taking a gender-specific approach
          • Principle 4: Adopting an intersectional approach
          • Principle 5: Considering children’s experiences
          • Step 1: Define the purpose and objectives of police risk assessment
          • Step 2: Identify the most appropriate approach to police risk assessment
          • Step 3: Identify the most relevant risk factors for police risk assessment
          • Step 4: Implement systematic police training and capacity development
          • Step 5: Embed police risk assessment in a multiagency framework
          • Step 6: Develop procedures for information management and confidentiality
          • Step 7: Monitor and evaluate risk assessment practices and outcomes
      • Risk management principles and recommendations
        • Principle 1. Adopting a gender-specific approach
        • Principle 2. Introducing an individualised approach to risk management
        • Principle 3. Establishing an evidence-based approach
        • Principle 4. Underpinning the processes with an outcome-focused approach
        • Principle 5. Delivering a coordinated, multiagency response
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      • Overview of the toolkit
      • First steps towards more inclusive language
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        • Choosing whether to mention gender
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          • Avoid gendered pronouns (he or she) when the person’s gender is unknown
          • Avoid irrelevant information about gender
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        • Invisibility and omission
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      • Back to toolkit page
      • EU policies on work-life balance
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      • Step-by-step approach to building a compelling business case
        • Step 1: Identify national work-life balance initiatives and partners
        • Step 2: Identify potential resistance and find solutions
        • Step 3: Maximise buy-in from stakeholders
        • Step 4: Design a solid implementation plan
        • Step 5: Carefully measure progress
        • Step 6: Highlight benefits and celebrate early wins
      • Toolbox for planning work-life balance measures in ICT companies
      • Work–life balance checklist
    • Gender Equality Index 2019. Work-life balance
      • Back to toolkit page
      • Foreword
      • Highlights
      • Introduction
        • Still far from the finish line
        • Snail’s-pace progress on gender equality in the EU continues
        • More women in decision-making drives progress
        • Convergence on gender equality in the EU
      • 2. Domain of work
        • Gender equality inching slowly forward in a fast-changing world of work
        • Women dominate part-time employment, consigning them to jobs with poorer career progression
        • Motherhood, low education and migration are particular barriers to work for women
      • 3. Domain of money
        • Patchy progress on gender-equal access to financial and economic resources
        • Paying the price for motherhood
        • Lifetime pay inequalities fall on older women
      • 4. Domain of knowledge
        • Gender equality in education standing still even as women graduates outnumber men graduates
        • Both women and men limit their study fields
        • Adult learning stalls most when reskilling needs are greatest
      • 5. Domain of time
        • Enduring burden of care perpetuates inequalities for women
        • Uneven impact of family life on women and men
      • 6. Domain of power
        • More women in decision-making but still a long way to go
        • Democracy undermined by absence of gender parity in politics
        • More gender equality on corporate boards — but only in a few Member States
        • Limited opportunities for women to influence social and cultural decision-making
      • 7. Domain of health
        • Behavioural change in health is key to tackling gender inequalities
        • Women live longer but in poorer health
        • Lone parents and people with disabilities are still without the health support they need
      • 8. Domain of violence
        • Data gaps mask the true scale of gender-based violence in the EU
        • Backlash against gender equality undermines legal efforts to end violence against women
        • Conceptual framework
        • Parental-leave policies
        • Informal care of older people, people with disabilities and long-term care services
        • Informal care of children and childcare services
        • Transport and public infrastructure
        • Flexible working arrangements
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      • 10. Conclusions
    • Sexism at work
      • Background
        • What is sexism?
        • What is the impact of sexism at work?
        • Where does sexism come from?
        • Sexism at work
        • What happens when you violate sexist expectations?
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        • Under-reporting of sexual harassment
      • Part 2. Test yourself
        • How can I combat sexism? A ten-step programme for managers
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        • How can I report a problem?
        • Eradicating sexism to change the face of the EU
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My personal story

PrintDownload as PDF
Narrative
Country: Italy
Sex:
Male
Primary Topic:
IDENTITY
Year:
1970, 1980

R : Yes, here we’re talking of a different age, as being born in 1958 and being 58 today (…) I lived quite directly an historical period where there was a women’s movement, a feminist one, even if I don’t like the word (…) and so the fact of being a man without being presumptuous who never thought of women being as something to exploit or to run away from, being a man of that kind was a limit. In those years, having a girlfriend who became my wife later on, who was very active in this women’s group, there was this trend like very beautiful atmosphere, an intellectual movement (…) you could feel something was changing or they wanted change, there were some very strong “No” and this was really positive, even essential, the only limit was as I experienced it personally but maybe it is different for other men, (…) they were so angry with men, my girlfriend too, you could understand it on one side, but, they were blind to a men’s world, I am not talking only about me (…) who never related to them in terms of men/women (…). I was suffering about the fact of walking together with my girlfriend, we were really much in love with each other and we had a wonderful time, we walked around hand in hand, we went singing and playing together and when we were together it was ok, while when we met the hard core of the feminist group, suddenly the roles changed and the way she behaved with me too, she was completely different and she … (…) closed her doors and windows so to speak, (…) and I came to be totally excluded from her life, I can understand we were only 20 years old, and still…

R: (…) then another very strange thing at that time was that women being part of such a group were confused about their sexuality and (…) some 2 or 3 friends they stopped having relations with men and they had sex with women. I am not at all someone who see these things as problematic, but why I’m saying that? In that historical period many people (…) made things that were not in their nature, everything is ok but (…) they told me later on that there was such a refusal of men that even not having sex with men was considered to be a form of fight. I am saying these were very peculiar times, and being 53 I lived very hard historical times.

I : I had two questions about this issue: were you aware of the critics to men, masculinity and patriarchy that the feminist movement was elaborating and transferring to that sort of anger you were referring to?

R : Yes, I was aware of it, absolutely, and I totally agreed with it.

I : Ok, you agreed, but did you perceive it as something that didn't concern you as you were feeling to be different or did any of these critiques make you reflect and question your being a man? The other question was about homosexuality, as as those women may be in a transition pahse or even confused as you said, but couldn't it also be that for men this may be a sort of 'ghost' associated to women's rage, which could be so strong that they start to be scared...

R : Yes, yes, I start answering to the second question, it's more a feeling but not only, as these were things they were saying, I was there; it may seem something totally weird but it's not a critique, it's just to frame things in their own times, you were not allowed to use the word "penetration", it was forbidden. (...) Now I answer to the first question, I would say to be presumptuos that all the critiquest to men, I was accepting them totally, on certain respects I was feeling to be very different; of course, this doesn't mean that I've never been a chauvinist myself or I never hurt a woman, or that I am a perfect person to anybody, but I have to be honest, when they spoke, when they were living together and I lived with them for a whole month in a very peculiar place, I was totally agreeing on what they said, as this was what I wanted for women too, not only for women as it wasn't a women's only discourse, but it was about relations, but we know how it is from right things and principles the protest's methods and forms may be right or wrong, history is teaching us this (...).

R: All this clearly resulted in distancing me from that group of women, not their ideas, but at the end there was really a moment when I had a problem with my girlfriend, I couldn't play the man's role with her, not only from a sexual point of view, I couldn't relate to her (...). As far as homosexuality is concerned, I think some people of that group were really homosexual and other ones... you know, in any groups you always have a leader, one or two or three and they have influence, this is happening among men or women, in a factory as well as at schools, and there were two women who had a very strong personality and were really carismatic (...).

Italian

I : Prima mi raccontavi anche di problematiche simili ma diverse invece nell'approccio con le coetanee italiane o veneziane.

R : Sì forse qui stiamo parlando di un'età un po' diversa, nel senso che essendo del '58, avendo cinquantatre anni, è chiaro che dire "vissuto direttamente" è un po' presuntuoso, però abbastanza presente, abbastanza direttamente ho vissuto un periodo storico per cui, anche se non mi piace molto il termine, c'è stato un movimento delle donne, femminista, mi vengono sempre un po' i brividi a dire sta cosa, non nel senso per carità del termine brutto, ma che poi è stato un po' usato in un modo che non mi piace, dunque sicuramente il fatto di essere un uomo, con la presunzione di dire di non aver mai visto la figura femminile come una cosa da cui scappare o sfruttare o usare, il fatto di essere un maschio è stato per me un limite per me perché in quegli anni lì, avendo una ragazza, che poi sarebbe diventata mia moglie, che chiaramente era molto attiva in questo gruppo di donne, sì c'era un gruppo di donne un po' più attive, però c'era tutta un'aria intorno che era molto bella, nel senso di movimento intellettuale, non dico di risveglio, perché in un certo senso le donne non sono mai state addormentate, però si sentiva nell'aria che c'era qualcosa che stava un po' per cambiare o volevano cambiare, c'erano alcuni "no", molto decisi, dunque molto bene questa cosa, anzi fondamentale, l'unica cosa che penso è che ha avuto un grosso limite col senno di poi, ma questo chiaramente lo dico perché l'ho vissuto io in questo senso poi magari per altri uomini è diverso, questa cosa ha avuto il grosso limite, alcuni altri limiti, di questo gruppo di persone tra cui la ragazza mia, tanto arrabbiate con il mondo maschile, comprensibile da un canto, non riusciva a vedere, un po' miope rispetto, non parlo solo di me, ad un mondo maschile, sempre con molta presunzione, che non si era mai posto con loro in termini di uomo-donna, e vi posso assicurare che anche nell'ambiente del lavoro a volte ho visto, più che dire, comportamenti, sguardi, fatti dati per scontato, dove una donna non poteva fare alcune cose, cose che sono un po' cambiate, non completamente, su questo non ho il minimo dubbio, però si son fatti dei passi avanti con secondo me una leggera regressione negli ultimi anni e praticamente soffrivo molto del fatto che noi due eravamo molto innamorati, per cui periodo bellissimo, si camminava per strada a mano, si andava a suonare, a cantare insieme, e dunque avevo la mia ragazza che quando eravamo tra di noi era in un modo e poi quando passava il gruppo, sembra brutto dirlo, dello "zoccolo duro" delle "dure", il ruolo cambiava per cui l'atteggiamento che lei aveva nei miei riguardi e non solo nei miei riguardi mutava completamente dunque si assentava mentalmente e anche fisicamente ed entrava nel gruppo e in quel momento porte e finestre chiuse, non c'era più niente per nessuno ed io facevo parte..., capisco perché stiamo parlando sempre di persone di vent'anni, capisco che eravamo giovani, però completamente escluso dalla sua vita e dalle cose che lei faceva e sempre con presunzione, avendo frequentato stranamente questo gruppo, perché non erano accettati molto gli uomini, però un po' perché ero ragazzo di una del gruppo, forse perché mi ponevo in una maniera un po' diversa con tanta fatica, bene o male mi hanno concesso una o due volte di assistere ad una delle loro riunioni senza però diritto di parola, assolutamente, mi sentivo anche fuori posto infatti io ho sempre detto: "va benissimo le donne che si mettono insieme, parlano tra di loro eccetara eccetera", tendere ad escludere così i sentimenti e tutto, ribadisco però eravamo molto giovani dunque o la prendi rigida un po' in quegli anni là, dura, sennò non riesci ad avere quelle mezze misure; un'altra sensazione, che non è proprio una sensazione perché me ne sono accorto un po', perché chiaramente tre quarti delle persone di cui sto parlando sono persone che vedo ogni tanto, amiche mie da una vita e un'altra cosa molto strana di quel periodo lì sono quelle donne che facendo parte di un gruppo di questo tipo non capivano bene la loro sessualità, nel senso che facevano un po' di confusione, anche a noi succede, però ho due / tre amiche che prese dal gruppo avevano smesso di avere rapporti con gli uomini e si sentivano di aver rapporti con le donne, e io sono l'ultima persona al mondo che ha problemi rispetto a ste cose qua perché dico questo? Perché era mossa proprio da quel momento storico e dall'onda di quel periodo, tante persone non capivano la loro sessualità e han fatto delle cose che, qualsiasi cosa va bene, ma che sull'onda hanno fatto delle cose che non erano proprio nella loro natura, io lo so perché son state loro a dirmelo però c'era talmente il rifiuto del maschio come figura che anche non avere rapporti sessuali con gli uomini poteva essere una forma di lotta, sto parlando di tempi un po' particolari, ripeto, avendo cinquantatre anni ho vissuto dei momenti storici abbastanza duri...

I : Beh era proprio il momento del culmine del femminismo...

R : Esatto.

I : Ma avevo due domande su questa questione: uno, se comunque in qualche modo tutte le critiche al maschile, agli uomini, al patriarcato, tutta la mole di critiche che venivano avanzate e che quindi erano veicolate in questa forma di rabbia, tu del contenuto ne eri a conoscenza? Lo conoscevi?

R : Assolutamente sì, anzi ero pienamente d'accordo.

I : Eri d'accordo, ma tutto questo contenuto lo vivevi come qualcosa di critica a qualcosa che comunque non ti riguardava perché ti sentivi diverso o in qualche modo alcuni di questi elementi critici ti hanno fatto anche ripensare al tu essere uomo? Seconda domanda: riguarda più la questione dell'omosessualità femminile, perchè mi viene un po' da dire che alcune potevano essere in questa fase di transizione, di passaggio all'omosessualità o comunque di confusione come l'hai definita tu, magari però in parte mi viene da dire che può esserci una sorta di fantasma maschile, no? ...Che viene associato alla rabbia femminile, che può essere talmente forte che mi fa iniziare a temere che ci sia un...

R : Sì, sì infatti, inizio a rispondere alla seconda domanda, sempre a sensazione ma non solo, perché erano discorsi fatti da loro, io ero anche presente; sembra una cosa stranissima, ma non è una critica, tanto per collocare le cose nel tempo, non si poteva usare il termine "penetrazione", era vietato. Vedendo le cose dall'esterno, non essendo io una donna, al 99% d'accordo con la rabbia con qualsiasi forma di riuscire a venire fuori da alcuni canoni, per cui io non ho mai criticato loro per quello che mi dicevano come uomo e rispondo alla prima domanda, mi verrebbe da dire a livello presuntuoso che tutte le critiche del mondo maschile le accettavo completamente, per certi versi mi sentivo molto diverso; da qui dire che non sono mai stato maschilista che non ho mai fatto male ad una donna, che sono una persona talmente corretta e perfetta con le persone in genere un po' ce ne passa però l'unica cosa che devo essere sincero è che quando loro parlavano, quando loro vivevano insieme, io ho vissuto con loro anche un mese in un posto un po' particolare, io mi ci ritrovavo perfettamente, nel senso che quello che loro dicevano era esattamente quello che io volevo per le donne, non dico solo per loro, perché non era solo un discorso di donne, era un discorso di rapporti tra persone, poi è chiaro, noi sappiamo molto bene che da principi sani e da cose giuste uno pensa le forme di lotte a volte son giuste a volte sbagliate, la storia ci insegna delle forme di lotta su cui posso essere d'accordo o meno però nelle basi del movimento, quello che loro volevano, anzi, dirò un'altra cosa, che mi sembrava persino tardi, nel senso che essendo un maschio, avendo cinquantatre anni io impazzivo quando vedevo e mi riallaccio all'aneddoto di prima, cioè era troppa la diversità per quanto riguarda proprio ruoli nella società, dirò una banalità, tra uomo e donna, era completamente diverso, noi lo sappiamo la generazione dei nostri genitori, lo sapevamo benissimo, il ruolo della donna era uno, due, tre, era quello e il ruolo dell'uomo erano quattro, cinque, sei e sette, per cui sicuramente delle donne di cui sto parlando adesso hanno cinquantatre anni, dunque sicuramente era una costrizione allucinante, però vissuto da un uomo non proprio maschilista nel senso proprio forte del termine, è chiaro che mi ha creato alla fine una lontananza da quel gruppo di donne, non dalle idee di quel gruppo di donne, di conseguenza alla fin fine c'è stato proprio un momento in cui c'è stato anche un problema tra me e la mia ragazza, nel senso che io non potevo fare l'uomo con lei, non solo a livello sessuale, cioè non potevo pormi rispetto a lei, perché lei quando faceva parte del gruppo non avevano relazioni col mondo maschile nella prima fase, forse dopo tre / quattro anni forse un po' si sono, non dico addolcite, ma forse si son rese conto che con l'aiuto di qualche uomo, anche per non ghettizzarlo, perché sennò veramente credo non vai da nessuna parte, si sono ritrovate un po' a rivedersi alcune cose; per quanto riguarda, io non so se fosse omosessualità femminile eccetera, io credo che delle persone di quel gruppo fossero proprio omosessuali, altre persone, si sa, in un gruppo c'è un leader, ce ne sono due, ce ne sono tre, l'influenza, questo succede tra maschi, tra donne succede in fabbrica, succede a scuola, accade ovunque, c'erano due donne particolarmente forti, con un carisma molto forte e di cui una ha influenzato moltissimo anche me, perché era una donna di un carisma e di una capacità comunicativa molto forte.

I : Da cui sei stato influenzato anche tu?

R : Sì, da cui sono stato influenzato anch'io perché era una persona molto particolare, che ho amato molto, nel senso di stimato molto e per cui avendo un'influenza molto forte sul gruppo delle donne, non idolatrando questa figura, perché anche lei aveva i suoi difetti, non essendo perfetta perchè nessuno di noi è perfetto, qualche intolleranza che lei aveva molto personale, inconsciamente la trasmetteva al gruppo e il gruppo si è un po' omogeneizzato, cioè sto parlando di un gruppo di venti / venticinque donne e non tutte uguali, perché anche le donne sono diverse, dopo tre anni, il gruppo aveva perso un po' di spontaneità, aveva perso un po' di sfaccettature, nel senso che era diventato un po' il gruppo di queste due donne, non dico che gestivano loro perché è bruttissimo, anche perché insisto, parlo di due persone stupende, però dove sta il limite anche se sei una persona stupenda, dove decidi tutto tu, influenzi tutto tu e le altre persone non mettono di suo perché tanto c'è il leader che... e questo è un altro problema che c'è molte volte, per cui alla fine fine credo che la ragione per cui questa persona ha mollato il gruppo è perché voleva che il gruppo camminasse un po' con le sue gambe; lei è andata a fare un'esperienza completamente diversa in un altro paese, so che è ancora lì, e per cui essere maschi un po' diversi in quegli anni, era un po' duretta e mi va benissimo, perché che fosse dura per i maschi in quegli anni era l'unico modo per incominciare a fare, non c'è dubbio su questo.

I : Ok, grazie.

Metadata

Other Topic categories:
CHILDHOOD / FAMILY LIFE / RELATIONSHIPS
SOCIETAL CONTEXT
Key actors: 
myself, partner, schools, church, feminist movement
Tags:
conflict, love, relationship, (not) questioning/(no) doubts, (un-) happiness, masculinity, sexual identity, sexual orientation, feminism/feminist, homophobia
Male, 53 Italy

Gender did matter

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