The main focus of this documentary is the plight of women and the lack of women's rights in Italy at the time (early 50s), particularly regarding childbirth, abortion, lack of child support enforcement, marriage, estrangement, divorce, and resulting issues of prostitution, suicide, and abandonment, all from the point of view of women, as opposed to the usual male objectification viewpoint and the laws at the time all favoring men in efforts of relationships and sex.
In the opening segment, Carlo Lizzani's "Paid Love", patrons are seen leaving a cinema showing The Lady Without Camelias (1953). This was Michelangelo Antonioni's previous film; Antonioni of course is also one of the contributors to Love in the City (1953).
Italian censors initially removed the last few minutes of Michelangelo Antonioni's treatise on suicide. An exhaustive search of the Italian National Film Library and Cinecitta finally unearthed these missing moments for the DVD release.
The Carlo Lizzani part on prostitution was removed by the Italians for US release because of its unflattering portrait of that aspect of their country's life.