One reason for this is smaller families as more and more women seektheir own careers, even though women still make up only a relatively smallpercentage of the professional and technical workforce. While 88 percent of allItalian women have one child, over half decide not to have another. Interestingly,the life expectancy of Italian women has doubled in fifty years to an average ageof eighty-two.
According to UN estimates, some 300,000 immigrant workers a year willbe needed to maintain Italys workforce. There has been a steady stream ofmigrants from North Africa and the Far East, but the majority now come fromcentral and southeastern Europe. Although Italy has made some attempts tocurb immigration, these foreign workers are also regarded as "useful invaders."For decades, Italy was a land of emigration （principally to the U.S.A. and LatinAmerica, and later Australia）. The presence of immigrants in Italys cities is arelatively new phenomenon and many Italians are still coming to terms with it.
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