An Italian engineering firm has sacked half its workforce, but it has attracted accusations of sexism, since all the 13 people made redundant are women.
The family-owned business near Milan, which makes electric fans and heating equipment, reportedly justified its action by saying it had chosen to make the women redundant so they could stay at home and look after children, and because theirs was not the primary income in the household.
One of Italy's biggest unions condemned the move, saying it represented what it called "the same old thinking about women's role in society".
The BBC says that, in an interview, the company said it did not discriminate against women but the firm was going through a bad time and the area most affected by the downturn was where women worked.
