Reece

=Italian Culture =
 * Language
 * Gender roles
 * Sexual permissiveness/restrictiveness
 * Family structure
 * Religious/spiritual beliefs
 * Use of art (music, painting, body modification, etc.)
 * Use of sports, games, entertainment, etc.



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1. Language
The major language in Italy is Italian. Italian dialects developed from Vulgar Latin, the non formal language of the late Roman empire. In the European population, Italian is spoken as a native language by about 65 million people. Italian people often use hand gestures and body language to portray expressions. Every word or phrase in the Italian language has a hand gesture that goes with it. Almost like all Italians used to be deaf at some point.

2. Gender roles
The gender roles in Italy are very traditional. Woman usually tend to home and family while men work hard. Italian wives tend to be spoiled, but Italian men are very territorial and strict with the treatments of their wives and children. Because of this, a lot of Italian women prefer to marry a non-Italian man. Italian men tend to be too controlling. Italian men contribute very little to housework and childcare, this probably explains why Italy is experiencing a strong reduction in the number of children per couple. The toughness of the Italian labor market makes it extremely difficult, nearly impossible, for mothers with young children to re-enter the job market, even after only a few years out. These mothers are not attractive to employers, who prefer men or childless women.

3. Sexual Permissiveness
With Italy's strong connection to Catholicism they are very traditional in their beliefs of marriage. They believe marriage should only be between one man and one woman. They have become more accepting of homosexuals but gays are still subject to discrimination and harassment. Italy also has relatively high divorce rates, even though the Catholic church frowns upon divorce and believes that marriages should be eternal.

4. Family Structure
The stereotyped image of the large and traditional Italian family, with more than six children, is just an old memory. In fact, in the last thirty years the structure of the Italian family has dramatically changed from the traditional model. In the past, Italian families, especially those of the South, were made up of a lot of children and they were patriarchal units where women usually didn't work. In the last 100 years, the evolution of the country from an agricultural system into an industrial system brought many changes to the culture, mentality, and habits of Italian society - and families have changed as a result.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Though Italian families tend to be smaller now, they continue to spend a lot of time together and their members typically try to gather to eat together at least one meal each day where they share their days' events. There are still strong ties among family members even when they create new family units or if they live far from their original families, and most still join their parents or relatives during festivities like Christmas or Easter.

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Italian family life can be characterized by loyalty and closeness. From the immediate, nuclear family to more extended relatives, Italians tend to remain as a close unit through several generations. Whether they are meeting in the square or at someone's house over a large dinner, family life in Italy is one of the foundations of their culture.======



<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5. Religious/Spiritual Beliefs <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Although Italy is very diverse from a cultural standpoint, the country is fairly homogenous both linguistically (the majority of the population speaks Italian) and religiously, as Roman Catholicism is the religious faith of choice for nearly 90 percent of the Italian population. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Italian Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the government is thought to respect this right in practice, not tolerating its abuse, either by government or private action. There is no state religion of Italy, and although the constitution prohibits state support for private schools, the Catholic Church does enjoy some privileges, stemming from its sovereign status and its historical authority, which is not applicable to other faiths. Roman Catholicism has played an enormous role in Italy’s history and continues to dominate as the most prominent faith in the country today.





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