San Marino

San Marino is the third-smallest state in Europe (61 square kilometers) and is a landlocked country completely surrounded by Italy. The population of 30,167 (as of July 2009) is primarily Sammarinese (native of San Marino) and Italian. Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion. Italian is the national language, and San Marino is heavily influenced by political, social, and cultural trends in Italy. Citizens of San Marino enjoy a high standard of living, with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $41,900 (16th highest in the world) and life expectancies of 77.4 years for men (highest in the world) and 84.5 years for women. Literacy is almost universal at 95 percent for women and 97 percent for men.

Women have legal equality in San Marino. Women age 15 or older are employed at a higher rate (91.9 percent) than men in the same age group (86.9 percent), and women outnumber men in tertiary education.

Women received the right to vote in 1960 and the right to serve in political office in 1973. Several women have served as heads of state (Captains Regent: two serve at a time and are elected for six-month terms), including Rosa Zafferani (1999, 2008), Fausta Morganti (2005), Valeria Ciavatta (2003-04), and Maria Domenica Michelotti (2000). Women also serve in the San Marino Cabinet, including currently [Page 1274]Ciavatta (secretary of the Interior and Civil Protection) and Antonella Mularoni (secretary of state for Foreign and Political Affairs and Economic Planning). Women also hold about 11 percent of the seats in the national parliament.

Abortion in San Marino is legal only to save the mother's life. However, neighboring Italy allows abortion on demand, so women who can afford to pay can easily seek an abortion there. The fertility rate is 1.36 children per woman, and a low birth rate of 9.68 per 1,000 population, coupled with San Marino's long life expectancy and high rate of emigration (10.4 per 1,000 population, seventh highest in the world), mean the country has an aging population (median age in 2009 was 41.5 years, with only 16.8 percent age 14). Maternal and child care is of a high standard, with extensive prenatal care services and infant mortality of 5 per 1,000 live births. In recent years, there has not been a single case of maternal mortality.