“Italian men have always been proud of their masculinity and the idea that a woman’s place is in the home.But that stereotype is being challenged by a newly-formed association for Italian househusbands, the first of its kind in the world.
In a house on the edge of the main square in the sleepy Tuscan town of Pietrasanta, a quiet revolution is under way.In the kitchen there is a man in yellow rubber gloves, washing the dishes.In the sitting-room another man is sitting quietly, mending some socks.On the other side of the room Fiorenzo Bresciani, the president of the Association of Househusbands , is giving a lesson in the art of ironing a shirt.
His audience is made up of married men of all ages, wearing beige aprons. They have come here to learn how to do those things that their wives have always done in the past. “Once, my wife did everything,” said one member. “Then I discovered the pleasure of housework. Now, I do all the cooking. I can’t iron yet, but I want to learn….”
More than 4,000 men have signed up, and the is association is receiving inquiries from all over Europe.
First, Italians invent the Slow Food movement, now this! Keep your fingers crossed that it catches on worldwide!!
MarionP