The Collegio Romano is a prestigious institution in the
heart of Rome. It was founded in the
middle of the 16th century by Ignatius of Loyola, who came from Spain
with the ideal to bring education to the world. It was a “men only” institution.
In the 21st century, on International Women´s Day 2012, the Collegio
Romano opened its doors for a Soroptimist conference to look at the state of
women´s education and careers. Three women who studied law and are successful
in their careers told their stories. Christina Höfferer followed the conference
organised by the three Roman Soroptimist Clubs.
When Rosanna Oliva studied law in Rome in the 1950s it was a
privilege for her to have access to university. After she finished her studies
the young woman wanted to enter the Italian Ministry of Internal Affairs. A pre-requisite
for the application for this public position was to be male.
Rosanna Oliva
applied nevertheless and of course she was rejected. She went to ask the man
who had turned down her application to give her a written documentation of why
she could not apply for the post. With this piece of paper she addressed her
professor of constitutional Law at the University, who brought Rosanna Oliva´s
case up to the Supreme Court. The result: Rosanna Oliva could enter the
Ministry. Today she is still fighting for the rights of women in Italy:
“There has to be a way higher presence of women in politics and in the media!”
Luckily some things have changed since the 1950s and a Soroptimist
testimonial for the winds of change is Debora Tripiccione. The young woman
works as a judge in the Juvenile Court of Rome. Her face lights up, when she
tells that being a judge was always her dream: “I am very happy that I could
make this dream become reality.” Debora Tripiccione is standing up for the
reintegration of youngsters who out of boredom or poverty have fallen into the
trap of criminality or drugs.
The third woman to tell her career at the International Women´s
Day Conference in the Collegio Romano is Stefania Ceci. “When I came to my
workplace and I was told that I am the first woman in this position, I was
totally astonished,” says Stefania Ceci who is a lawyer for the Bank of Italy.
Stefania Ceci has three kids and is the first woman to have won the contest for
the prestigious post inside the bank. In her family, female education has long
been of value: her mother and her grandmother both studied at the university: “Being
born as a woman in my view is a privilege”.