The Changing Roles Of Women In The Mafia - Essay Example

THE CHANGING ROLES OF WOMEN IN THE MAFIA Contents Introduction 3 Methodology 4 The Mafia and Change (1990 – Present) 5 Traditional Roles of Women in the Sicilian Mafia 7 Changing Roles of Women in the Mafia 9 Women and the Exposure of Sicilian Mafia Groups 12 Conclusion 13 Bibliography 14 Introduction The Mafia is an organised crime group that has a history that goes back to several centuries and is centrally focused in the Mediterranean Island of Sicily which is located in Italy. It involves various families that come together to protect their interests in organised crime in Sicily and also deal with various limitations that might prevent them from attaining their aims. The mafia also maintains strong links and connections to various families that are considered allied and they control competition from rival families that might stand in their way of attaining their aims and objectives in the world of organised crime. “Customarily and stereotypically, women in the mafia, both daughters and wives, are seen as meek, invisible, and sheltered from the true workings of their male counterparts.” (Mohan, 2009) Since the mafia is a family venture which involves generations of single families operating with other families, it is apparent that the role of women is bound to be important in supporting the operation and flourishing of such an organisation. However, in most cases, it is the male mafia bosses who are identified in the media as the figureheads of mafia organisations. Hence, there is little study and research into the activities and roles of women in these Sicilian organised crime units. From testimonies from former Sicilian Mafia family members and former Mafia operatives, it is apparent that some Sicilian Mafia units are ran by women who are capable of undertake criminal and violent activities like murder and torture (Fiandaca, 2007). Other accounts indicate that women are mainly leaders who are masterminds that take decision, particularly when their sons become bosses of the organisation (Fiandaca, 2007). Such women wield a strong influence over the organisation and they run it according to their own views and opinions. The aim of this paper is to examine the role of women in the mafia and anti-mafia movement in Sicilian organised crime groups. In order to attain this end, the following objectives will be explored: 1. A critical review of the Mafia in Sicily and how they have evolved over the past 20 years; 2. The traditional roles of women in the Sicilian Mafia system and organisations. 3. An identification of the changing roles of women in the Sicilian Mafia in a fast changing world; 4. The current impact of women on the political, social and economic development of the Sicilian Mafia; Methodology This research will primarily be done through the critical analysis and review of secondary sources. This will include the analysis of groundbreaking definitions, concepts and ideas that have been documented by various writers and academics in the field of research into organised crime and into the works of the Sicilian Mafia. The study will focus on analysing information from authorities that are known for their efforts and track-record in researching into the Sicilian Mafia and Organised crime groups. In doing this, the research will focus on contemporary research works and field works that have been done by conducting various primary studies and research work like interviews and other things meant to inquire into the way research is done into the Sicilian model of the mafia and its processes. Finally, the research will also seek to inquire into specialised sources and works of authors who have in-depth experience and knowledge in studying women and the Mafia. This will include an insight into numerous works by persons who have spent the most part of the past 20 years studying and researching into the works of the Mafia and their evolutions over the period at hand. The Mafia and Change (1990 – Present) The mafia organization underwent numerous changes and modifications after the Cold War. The Cold War was an era where nations were grouped into various blocs and the nation-state model was more common in most nations, including Italy where the Sicilian Mafia had their central core (Allum & Gilmour, 2012). In the period before the 1990s, most organized crime groups like the Sicilian Mafia used extortion and petty crime to carry out their quest to raise funds and finance their operations (Allum & Gilmour, 2012). This revolved around the creation of a quasi-tax farming system where businesses and individuals had to pay money to the Sicilian Mafia organization. However in the 1990s, the Sicilian Mafia group and similar organizations involved themselves in smuggling and trade in counterfeit products because the era of globalization came with the propitious chance to send illegal and contraband goods cross boundaries around the world. Also, in the 1990s the chain of collusion between the Sicilian Mafia and governments and authorities were strengthened and the Mafia became somewhat a political class because they wielded great influence over the people in power and those who controlled nations and governments (Pezzoti, 2009). High-profile demonstrations and demands for the control of the Mafia’s activity in the 1980s indicated that Italian police had to act and this led to a series of arrests which led to the trial of various top Sicilian Mafia figures (Alexander, 2012). This led to the use of counterterrorist activities by the Sicilian Mafia which saw the mass killing of numerous people who sought to expose their activities and end the Sicilian Mafia. This counter-terrorism process was changed and modified when people sought to change their approach to dealing with the business of the Mafia when in the 1990s there were several changes in international polity. However, the possibility of the Judiciary to expose members of the Mafia involved in criminal activities with the political elite showed that it was not ideal for people to continue to undertake illegal activities and bribe authorities or use various forms of terrorism to suppress arrests and legal action (Bull, 2012). This caused most Mafia organizations including the Sicilian Mafia to take softer stands on issues and matters relating to making money and earning a living. Thus, at the turn of the 21st Century, most of the Sicilian Mafia members were preparing to enter more legitimate business and businesses that appeared to be legitimate on the surface but was somewhat illegal and this drew parallels around money laundering. In the 1990s, there was a massive industrialization of southern Italy and this reflected heavily in the need for the Sicilian Mafia to seek capital in order to pay for industrial campaigns that contributed to their welfare (Mignone, 2012). The massive influx of aid from the Italian government led to the quest to control strategic industrial activities as well as bribing in order to attain business controls and business processes. Drugs also became a popular means of gaining high amounts of money that was channelled into numerous business processes and business activities that appeared to be legitimate. The change in the Italian Penal Code of 1989 indicated that minors could not be put in prison for over 12 years, hence the Sicilian Mafia got the opportunity to change and modify their strategies in the 1990s and integrate persons of social characteristics that were not normally considered to be popular demographics for criminals (Mignone, 2012). This softened stands of the Sicilian Mafia sought to pursue an aspect of illegality that was disguised in the form of money laundering and similar activities and processes. Authorities came up with the presentation of entrepreneurial mafia groups that appeared to be persons doing legal business but had illegality behind the scenes and this included human trafficking and drug trafficking which sought to make use of the post-1990 era of globalisation and internationalisation (Paoli, 2010). Traditional Roles of Women in the Sicilian Mafia Sicily has always been depicted as a conservative society where family values are respected (Arnot & Usborne, 2010). Since Mafia organizations are family based entities, it is not possible for people to join the Mafioso and not introduce their wives and daughters. Therefore, from the inception of these Sicilian organizations, women have played various traditional roles like marrying into Mafia families to strengthen family ties and loyalties and also bear children and raise them in a manner that enables them to become productive and successful members of these groups. Studies show that Camorra women from Naples intermarried with Mafia bosses in Sicily and this created a system and process whereby two distinct cultures were blended. In these situations and contexts, it is documented that the Camorra women were more independent minded and were more likely to speak their minds in public and cross the traditional line set for women in these patriarchal systems where male domination was the norm (Fiandaca, 2007). However, the traditional Sicilian women rather preferred a simple and a quieter lifestyle in which they controlled issues and matters from behind the scenes rather than overtly.\However, this is the trademark of the traditional role of women in the mafia, to play various subtle roles in dealing with issues. This included conforming with the Sicilian code of conduct and also helping their close associates, particularly husbands and sons to remember their obligations and do what is required of the organization in all situations and circumstances (Fiandaca, 2007). In a landmark ruling in 1983, a judge announced in a Sicilian court that “women are too stupid to be involved in the complex world of finance”, hence a case relating to a woman’s alleged involvement in money laundering was thrown out of court (Maric, 2013). Therefore, in the legal sense, women were used as persons that could be used behind the scenes to carry out various illegal activities and this principle was binding in courts in Sicily and beyond. It comes as no surprise that between 1983 when this ruling took place and 1990, over 10 women were arrested in Sicily for active and direct involvement in crimes that related to the Mafia and organized crime (Maric, 2013). This shows that women’s roles are often disguised and viewed as one that is subtle in pushing the objectives of the Mafioso. In the traditional Sicilian homes, the wife and mother plays a major role as the main compass of the family and she commands so much respect within the home and has so much influence (Maric, 2013). Hence, these women are mainly persons who play central roles and do things that help them to streamline the family and the community. Mafia groups are often traced and investigated for long periods of time and in most cases, it takes years before a Mafia boss is indicted for any kind of crime or offence and this comes with the compilation and presentation of evidence. In most cases, women are required to clear the grounds of such investigations and deal with incriminating evidence in order to prevent the arrest and conviction of numerous bosses and members of the Sicilian Mafia (Longrigg, 2011). Women are required to play the role of clearing the trail and track of the police so that their husbands and sons are not jailed or put incriminated in investigations. In most cases, wives of Sicilian Mafia bosses and members were to stay at home and live as housewives in order to spend more time helping in running the home and protecting various forms of family secrets (Nicaso & Danesi, 2012). Women are expected to protect and nurture the honour code of the clan and they are to hesitate in participating in anything of a violent nature. Women also seem to give the family some degree of legitimacy because they often accompany their husbands to events and activities that other “normal” families and persons partake in (Gambetta, 2009). This include going to the bars, shops, banks and churches in order to present a legitimate face to the family and also ensure that the family is seen by people as good people when they are actually a part of the Mafioso. Older women who were close to senior members of Mafioso groups in Sicily turned out to become advisors and persons that younger Mafioso members could consult and seek advice in a quiet and protected setting (Hess, 2012). These women were experienced and had exposure to various levels of activities within the clan. Hence, they could give timely and appropriate advice that kept the organization and their leaders in contention and in operation. Sometimes, women in the Sicilian Mafia could also be victims and their husbands could treat them badly and they could endure various degrees of physical abuse from their male counterparts which culminated in various degrees of injuries and difficulties (De Stefano, 2010). Women were also important persons who kept these Mafioso clans going because in cases where men were imprisoned or kept in custody, their women played various roles in conceiving for their men even when they were in jail and they also ensured that the family continuity of each man who was put in jail continued (Arnot & Usborne, 2010). Changing Roles of Women in the Mafia The changes in society and the pressure that came upon the Sicilian Mafia to engage in ventures that were superficially legal has placed some kind of strain on the traditional role played by the Mafia. There have been many changes towards the Mafia organization in the 1990s that sought to change the Mafia from persons who were indulging in illegalities to those who took part in various forms of activities that appeared to be legal. Hence, the role of women being reserved persons in these clans who led from behind changed significantly and women took up various roles that were different and distinct. Society has become more heterogeneous since the 1990s because women’s groups and female independence has caused a situation where women are more removed from the servile role they played in the past (Fiandaca, 2007). Therefore, more women are now involved in leading the Mafia clans and carrying out illegality on their own without having to play the roles of wives or daughters of Mafia bosses. The growth of a system where it is easier for individuals to maintain their connections separately without having to gang up with other members of organized crime groups to attain their ends and objectives. Hence, women in Mafia groups are now prone to conduct various forms of illegal activities and processes on their own and push their way through as independent persons and individuals rather than as members of powerful clans and groups. Currently, the view that society is opened and people can easily contest and hold political office in order to protect the interest of what might seem to be legal business ventures on the surface. This has opened room for persons connected to numerous criminal activities like female mafia members. Hence, they can contest for positions and become leaders of their own right. There have been cases of former pornographic actresses taking up top positions in government and this gives room for them to pursue their own agenda in government and in high public offices. Other studies show that women have become more assertive and they are more self-confident and can pursue their own goals and ends and they take part in decision-making processes and actions (Siebert, 2010). Also, the custom of being long-suffering and accepting things as they occurred amongst women in Mafia clans is fast disappearing and more and more women are able to speak up for fair treatment in these groups and criminal organisations (Siebert, 2010). Some writers also point out that although the structures of society are fast changing, women are still expected to play various roles in shaping the society, but it is not as it was in the past hence, women are expected to play a separate but equal role at home and in most cases, work (Allum & Siebert, Organised Crime and the Challenge to Democracy, 2010). This is because most women are now working out of the home and no matter how rich a woman’s husband is, she might want to have her own business concerns and business activities. This is a reflection of the general increment in wealth and wellbeing amongst the people of Southern Italy and this has a major element that is part of the Mafioso culture and the Mafioso environment. Presence and inclusion is viewed in some quarters of Mafia women as a source of power and authority because they feel it is a means and a system through which they can assert their own uniqueness and distinction (Fiandaca, 2007). Thus, most women in the Mafia are important players and elements of the business of their families and clans. Hence, such women are able to play decisive roles and contribute directly to their clans and families and this helps them to protect their interests closer and in a better way and manner. In some cases, women take up roles and perform tasks as a means of asserting their own independence in the Mafia organization they belong to. This is because in the past, most Mafia organizations left dangerous operative activities to men only, but in a view of asserting their own independence and abilities, some women are increasingly becoming perpetrators themselves (Allum & Siebert, Organised Crime and the Challenge to Democracy, 2010). This has reflected in the fact that women are increasingly being prosecuted for their actions in connection to Mafia and organized Sicilian-based crimes (Rafter, 2009). This is in the form of high rates of arrests and prosecutions of women since the 1990s which was never the case in the years before that. Women and the Exposure of Sicilian Mafia Groups Women have typically been seen by Sicilian men as the weaker link in the Mafioso chain (Maric, 2013). This is because women were seen to be vulnerable in keeping secrets and in staying away from the police’s chases and desires. This is therefore behind the reason why women were often kept away from transactions of their male counterparts and kept at home to run affairs at home (Bull, 2012). However, the changing trends in the role of women saw a rise in the number of women who cooperated in reporting crime. In Sicily, there was a frequency rate of females reporting crimes of mafias of just 4.3% in 1994 when the rest of Italy had a rate of 18% (Fiandaca, 2007, p. 114). This shows how the Sicilian women were kept away from reporting crimes and playing roles that were seen to be detrimental to the Mafiosi. The period of the emancipation of women and the transformation of women from domestic based habitués to independent personalities saw a rise in the number of women who reported crimes related to the Mafia in Sicily. Indeed the statistics indicate that by 2000, the frequency rate of reporting increased to 16% in Sicily and this shows that there was a major increase and enhancement in the number of cases relating to these women cooperating with the police in investigations relating to the Mafia on the island (Fiandaca, 2007, p. 114). There have been some famous leakage of information from women that has implicated the Mafia and this has gone a long way to help in the fight against the Mafiosi. Conclusion Women in the Mafia were traditionally seen as the bedrock for the keeping together and transmission of the amoral familial traits of organized crime families and clans in Sicily. However, the past 20 years has seen a lot of changes and modifications in the way things are done in the Mafia and in societies. This include the fact that the Mafioso is more interested in cashing in on the opportunity to make money through smuggling and owning businesses in order to participate in money laundering. This is opposed to the old system where the Mafia took part in violent activities and violent crimes and offences in order to raise money and remain rich. The role of women has changed from the quiet type where they were expected to assert their identity through their husbands and rely on their husbands for a livelihood. Rather, women are seen to be more independent persons who carry out various activities and crime as independent persons. Most women in the Mafia now play roles as either business owners, entrepreneurs or politicians. And through this, these women are able to push their needs and expectations in order to gain and protect their own personal interests. Bibliography Alexander, Y. (2012). Counterterrorism Strategies: Successes and Failures of Six Nations. Washington, DC: Potomac Publishing. Allum, F., & Gilmour, S. (2012). Routledge Handbook of Transnational Organized Crime. London: Routledge. Allum, F., & Siebert, R. (2010). Organised Crime and the Challenge to Democracy. London: Routledge. Arnot, M., & Usborne, C. (2010). Gender and Crime In Modern Europe. London: Routledge. Bull, M. J. (2012). Contemporary Italy: A Research Guide. Santa Barbera: ABC-CLIO. De Stefano, G. (2010). An Offer We Cant Refuse: The Mafia in the Mind of America. London: Macmillan. Fiandaca, G. (2007). 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