Lower wages and "forced" part-time work: in Italy over ten million women at work but it's still not enough
Seven in ten earn less than men, a setback for women-led businesses
(photo Ansa symbol)
Women at work in Italy are increasing and exceeding 10 million but the photograph of March 8 remains blurry.
For more than six in 10 women (63%) the current level of gender equality is insufficient. The opinion on job stability is also negative (for 62%) and, again, on job security (for 59%) and on the possibility of making a career (for 58%). The opinion on equal pay compared to men is even worse: for 71% of women there is none. They themselves say it in the FragilItalia report, developed by Area studi Legacoop and Ipsos, on the occasion of International Women's Day. A wide range, which for employees in the private sector alone is on average 8 thousand euros a year, but which increases with age and career. According to the latest available data from the relevant INPS Observatory, in 2022 the gender pay gap is in fact 7,922 euros. The average annual salary for men stands at 26,227 euros compared to 18,305 euros for women. They are the ones who most often work part-time, and not always by choice.
Record levels
But it is precisely on the employment front that a positive piece of data arrives: with over 10 million employed in January, female employment in Italy reaches record levels, as reported by the Labor Consultants Studies Foundation, based on recent Istat data. The growth is driven by the older age groups, in particular the 55-64 year olds, who recorded an increase of 284 thousand employed people (+15.1%) between 2019 and 2023. Another protagonist of this positive trend is the youth: among 25-34 year olds, employment increases by 2.4%, while among under 25s the growth is 6.6% . A growth which, however, is still not enough to climb the European rankings. In Italy the female participation rate in the labor market is below the EU average : if it were equal, the country would have 2.3 million more employed people, therefore an increase in GDP, but also a demographic increase, Confcommercio underlines that with the Women's Tertiary Group this year celebrates March 8 with the slogan "Every female business is a step forward towards equality".
Female businesses
In commerce, businesses led by women account for 24% of the total sector. However, the growth of female businesses as a whole has come to a halt: in 2023 they decreased by 11 thousand units, to 1 million 325 thousand, according to data from the Observatory for female entrepreneurship of Unioncamere, created with the support of SiCamera and Tagliacarne Study Center. But the propensity of female entrepreneurs to resort to more structured business models is increasing: female-owned companies increased by 1.7% in 2023, representing 26% of the total companies led by women.
(Unioneonline/D)
