Buzzwords (1): phallic gerontocracy

Sometimes International Herald Tribune gets it right. Must be that it is edited in Paris, combining the best tradition of American journalism with easy access to non-Starbuckified café au lait. Yesterday the paper wrote about Italy, the weakest link in the EU-chain, economically and politically. The article contained a quote from a market researcher in Milan:
"You have to remember that Italy is a phallic gerontocratic society, which means that old men hold the reins of power" said Alessandro Amadori.
As The Economist put it last year: Visit Italy now – it will soon be gone. The birth rate figures for Italy are catastrophic. The reasons are obvious, but no politician dares to address them: the absence of affordable child care and care for the elderly.
In societies where women traditionally are supposed to care for three generations, their enthusiasm for combining career and kids is bound to diminish. The failure of the state to provide these basic services naturally leads to sinking birthrates. In Italy, rather than falling in the gender-trap, many highly educated, women professionals chose not to marry and procreate, leaving the mamitas in the care of their mothers.