‘Beauty has no age. Fertility does’: Italy’s bizarre #FertilityDay campaign slammed for being sexist

The Italian government may not see as sharp of a rise in birth rates as hoped, after a campaign encouraging more couples to get pregnant was deemed wildly sexist and out of touch.

Last month, Italy’s health ministry announced Sept. 22 would mark the country’s first “Fertility Day” – an awareness campaign aimed at informing the public about the danger of Italy’s falling birth rate and the “beauty of motherhood and fatherhood.” In an effort to promote the campaign, the government released a series of posters encouraging women to get pregnant.

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One poster – which shows a young woman holding an hourglass – reads, “Beauty has no age. Fertility does,” referencing the biological clock. Another, depicting a stork perched on top of a chimney, reads, “Hurry up! Don’t wait for the stork.”

But the #FertilityDay posters have sparked outrage on social media, as many users accuse the Italian government of being sexist and offensive towards women.

Others pointed out that the campaign is highly insensitive to those who struggle with infertility, or who have miscarried.

“This #FertilityDay does nothing but remind me my wife lost her job after getting pregnant.”

The campaign also included encouraging young people to start families, with a poster that read, “Young parents. The best way to be creative.”

However – as many social media users pointed out – Italy’s youth unemployment rate skyrocketed to 42 per cent last year, leaving many asking why the government would suggest young women get pregnant.

“In a country with such a high unemployment rate like Italy, where there is so much talent and ambition, where there is no financial stability for a family to guarantee studies and a professional career, leaving the country alone is a mockery,” wrote Italian journalist Roberto Saviano on Facebook.

Blogger Guilia Blasi also pointed out that Italian women often face hardships when it comes to maintaining a career and having children.

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“Gender-based discrimination is illegal, but it is not uncommon for job interviews to include personal questions about fertility and having children. Those who still go ahead and do it are not guaranteed to get their job back when they return from maternity leave.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Gender-based discrimination is illegal, but it is not uncommon for job interviews to include personal questions about fertility and having children. Those who still go ahead and do it are not guaranteed to get their job back when they return from maternity leave."

Italy has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe. In 2014, its birth rate was just eight per 1,000 people, compared to 11 per 1,000 in Canada, according to the World Bank. Only 488,000 babies were born in Italy in 2015, the lowest number since the country was founded in 1861.

In a bid to entice more couples to have children, the government doubled its child benefit credit in May. At the time, Italy’s health minister Beatrice Lorenzin said that if the country failed to increase it’s birth rate it would be “an apocalypse.”

“If we carry on as we are and fail to reverse the trend, there will be fewer than 350,000 births a year in 10 years’ time, 40 per cent less than in 2010 – an apocalypse,” Lorenzin told Italian media.

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By Thursday, even Italy’s prime minister was weighing in on the campaign.

“I don’t know of any of my friends who had kids after they saw an advertisement,” Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said in a radio interview. “If you want to create a society that invests in its future and has children, you have to make sure the underlying conditions are there.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I don't know of any of my friends who had kids after they saw an advertisement," Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said in a radio interview. "If you want to create a society that invests in its future and has children, you have to make sure the underlying conditions are there."

As of Wednesday, the Fertility Day website had been taken offline.

The campaign also featured a bizarre #FertilityGame, resembling Space Invaders, in which users dodge cigarettes, alcohol, and pills using either an egg or a sperm avatar.

The game’s website has also been taken offline. The government has not made a statement regarding concerns about the campaign.

– With a file from Reuters