WHEN LICIA Ronzulli took her seven-week-old baby to work at the European Parliament this week, she did not realise what a stir she would cause.
Images of Ms Ronzulli with her daughter Vittoria in a sling as she voted on proposals to improve women’s employment rights were beamed around the world.
The Italian member of the European Parliament (MEP) has been inundated with requests for interviews since. Ms Ronzulli, a member of Silvio Berlusconi’s Il Popolo della Liberta party, said she hoped to draw attention to the difficulties experienced by working mothers.
“It’s bizarre,” she said. “We’ve been doing a lot, a lot of work in the European Parliament, and there was no interest in the press. Then I come with my baby and everybody wants to interview me.
“It was not a political gesture. It was first of all a maternal gesture – that I wanted to stay with my daughter as much as possible, and to remind people that there are women who do not have this opportunity [to bring their children to work], that we should do something to talk about this.”
Encouraged by support from all parties, Ms Ronzulli (35), has called a meeting of like-minded parliamentarians next week to discuss ways to improve the lives of working mothers. “Maybe we will make an appeal to the European Commission; with all the political parties together, our message will be all the more strong.”
Ms Ronzulli does not plan to bring Vittoria on a regular basis and said she would leave if her child began to cry: “It’s an official meeting, it’s not a creche.”
She offered support to French MEP Rachida Dati, who had been criticised for returning to work five days after giving birth. – ( Guardianservice)