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- #101
'Beyond that, the mondina was an affront to right-thinking public opinion, sensitized by fascist propaganda to the plight of working mothers.It was bad enough that mere girls worked knee-deep in the muddy waters, their skirts hoisted around their waists.Worse, working mothers dropped off nurslings and toddlers catch-as-can in nearby villages or farm barracks. Moreover, the rice workers had the highest incidence of spontaneous abortion of any group, a fact doctors attributed to stooping water-soaked for long hours. At the same time, the mondina was the agricultural equivalent of the "sexy salesgirl." Many were young and unmarried. Tough and uninhibited, they were notorious not only for their militant socialism but also for their bawdy sexuality.'
(de Grazia, op cit)
(de Grazia, op cit)