Disclaimer: I am not an Italian cat. I have no Italian connections, other than an intimate knowledge of where to hide when Human breaks out the Puccini.

But you've got to hand it to Italian women. They hold no high government office, and less than 10% of corporate management jobs. They are not happy about this, and I wouldn't be either, but do you know what straw broke the camel's back?

Silvio Berlusconi.

He's their Prime Minister. He has a very bad reputation where behavior toward women are concerned. Most recently it was alleged that he paid a 17 year old Moroccan runaway for sex and then tried to fix some legal problems for her.

Now this is bad. In fact, it's criminal, but we'll let the Italian courts deal with Berlusconi. Whatever they do, though, we hope Italian women continue to demand better opportunities, better pay and more respect. In the end, it matters less how men think about women than how women think about themselves.