Fifteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

How does the deeply rooted patriarchal traditions of Italian culture and Roman Catholicism, amplified by the proximity of the Vatican impact the gender identity of Roman women? The purpose of this study was to explore how the intersectionality of religious and cultural identities of women in Rome impact self-perceptions of gender. A 24-year-old Roman female doctoral student was recruited for an in-depth semi-structured interview with open comment items. She was asked how Italian culture, Catholicism, and the presence of the Vatican impact perceptions of the self. The needs from society and religion for the development of her future self were also assessed. A thematic content analysis was conducted. When asked about the impact of culture, the participant stated that particularly in southern Italy, women were still seen as the mother and was reinforced through the media. She felt she needed to avoid negative impacts of these stereotypes, in addition to being stereotyped from the cultures of tourists. In terms of Catholicism, she felt women are still viewed in a very conservative way and that women’s bodies are controlled by the male leadership in the Vatican. For the future, she felt that the work of women needs to be legitimated at a legal level through policy in order to see societal changes. This study is providing preliminary evidence as to how the intersectionality of cultural and religious identities of women in Rome, Italy are experienced and the impact it has on one’s self-perception of gender.