On 2 February 2012, a meeting regarding the problems facing Italian women workers was hosted by the National Council for Economic Affairs and Labour. The speakers described the gap the persists in employment, salary and career opportunities between women and men. Despite advanced equal opportunities legislation, women are discriminated against both culturally and in the workplace, earn lower wages than men, and are also more likely to be over-qualified for the work they do.
Background
A report on women and employment (in Italian, 550Kb PDF) was presented at a public meeting about women and work hosted by the National Council for Economic Affairs and Labour (CNEL). In all, four studies that highlighted persistent and serious problems for women in Italy’s labour market have been carried out by Banca d’Italia, the Central Institute of Statistics (Istat), the Institute for Vocational Training (Isfol) and the National Social Security Institute (Inps).
The Minister for Labour, Elsa Fornero, and representatives of trade unions and employer associations were present to hear research findings presented by:
- Economist Roberta Zizza, for the Banca d’Italia;
- Linda Laura Sabbadini, Director of Istat;
- Marco Centra for Isfol’s statistical office;
- Antonietta Mundo, General Statistical Co-ordinator of Inps.
The percentage of women entering the labour market has increased continuously, but in 2010 there were fewer employed women than men (46.1% compared to 56.9%). This figure makes Italy’s female occupation rate the second lowest among Europe’s Member States, just above that of Malta.
There are significant regional differences in Italy’s female occupation rate. In the North 56.1% of women work, compared to 73.8% of men, while in the South, only 30.5% are in formal paid work compared to 57.6% of men (Istat data, in Italian, 258Kb PDF).
The same statistics show that differences also persist among young working women aged 18–29, with 35.4% in jobs compared to 48.4% of men. Young women also have less job security; 35.2% are on fixed-term contracts or in temporary jobs compared to 27.6% of all working men. Despite an often high level of education, 52% of young women (against 41.7% of men) do a job requiring lower qualification levels than they actually possess.
Salary
Women earn less than men doing the same work, and the gap is widening. In fact, women’s salary levels were 10.3% lower than those of men in 1995, and the gap had increased to 13.8% by 2008 (Banca d’Italia research). Istat also reports a 20% gap between a woman’s average net salary (€1,096) and a man’s (€1,377). Employment and family life.
Women tend to leave their jobs because there are not enough services offered for the care of infants and the elderly. Research carried out by Isfol on a sample of women aged between 25 and 45 found that 40.8% of women who left their jobs did so in order to look after their children, compared to 3% of men leaving full time jobs for the same reason. A further 5.6% of women gave up working to dedicate their time entirely to their family or to look after family members – such as elderly parents – who weren’t able to live independently.
When women do work, they still shoulder most of the responsibility for looking after their families. The statistics suggest that 76% of family duties (such as housework and health care) are carried out by women. Banca d’Italia’s research shows that when time spent on family duties is combined with hours in paid employment, Italian women work an average 75 minutes a day longer than their male counterparts.
Reactions
The three principal Italian trade unions – the General Confederation of Italian Workers (CGIL), the Italian Confederation of Workers’ Trade Unions (CISL) and the Union of Italian Workers (UIL) – consider female employment figures to be ‘dramatic’ and have asked the government to introduce policies that favour the entry of women into the labour market, as well as moves that will help facilitate private and professional life.
Commentary
Equal opportunities legislation in Italy is among the most advanced in Europe, having been updated in 2009 by Directive 54/06 (IT1001039I). However, it remains difficult for women to enter and remain in the labour market for a number of reasons.
In Italy there are two fundamental aspects of sex discrimination. From a cultural point of view, it is still widely assumed that looking after the family is exclusively the job of the woman. Furthermore, there is the serious lack of support services for the care of young children and the elderly. Many families cannot afford private care and even if they could, demand outstrips supply.
The second problem women face is discrimination in the workplace. Women have difficulty in advancing their careers; they earn lower salaries when performing jobs equivalent to those done by men and also suffer discriminatory dismissal – frequently following pregnancy.
This situation creates an imbalance between employment opportunities for women and men. Apart from possible workplace discrimination, women have more difficulty reconciling their professional and private lives due to traditional attitudes, family care duties, running the family and lack of mobility.
Vilma Rinolfi, Cesos