[Italy] Women earn 25% less on average with more insecure work

New data has revealed that gender inequality is persisting in the Italian economy. Despite increasingly higher levels of education, women participate less in the labour market, earn less and bear the bulk of family care responsibilities, Il Sole 24 Ore reports.

Such disparity means that Italy is currently the European country with the widest gender gaps in employment, wages and career opportunities.

With just over 50 per cent of women in employment, Italy is reportedly far from the European average of 70.8 per cent. Data shows that, at 53.9 per cent, Italian women's labour market participation is 17.4 percentage points below men's (71.3 per cent). 

The gap is both social and economic: it means less use of skills and a reduction in available human capital and, consequently, impacts the country's growth potential.

The quality of female employment remains more insecure. Of the 4.238 million part-time contracts in Italy, 74.2 per cent are held by women, and a significant share is involuntary part-time, due to the absence of alternatives or the need to reconcile work and family responsibilities.

This employment model contributes to other inequalities, starting with the pay gap: women earn on average about 25.7 per cent less than men, with a gap that reportedly widens over the course of a career, according to the latest INPS data calculated on the pay in the year divided by the number of paid days in the year. 

Five factors contribute to this gap: the unequal use of time, school segregation, horizontal segregation, vertical segregation and outright discrimination, according to Professor Luisa Rosti of the University of Pavia. 

In the primary economic sectors, the difference is 19.7 per cent in manufacturing, 23.6 per cent in trade, 15.7 per cent in accommodation and food services, and 31.7 per cent in financial and insurance sectors. 

Among female professionals, the pay gap rises to 45 per cent, data from Adepp and Confprofessioni’s respective annual reports showed.

Source: Il Sole 24 Ore

(Links via original reporting)

New data has revealed that gender inequality is persisting in the Italian economy. Despite increasingly higher levels of education, women participate less in the labour market, earn less and bear the bulk of family care responsibilities, Il Sole 24 Ore reports.

Such disparity means that Italy is currently the European country with the widest gender gaps in employment, wages and career opportunities.

With just over 50 per cent of women in employment, Italy is reportedly far from the European average of 70.8 per cent. Data shows that, at 53.9 per cent, Italian women's labour market participation is 17.4 percentage points below men's (71.3 per cent). 

The gap is both social and economic: it means less use of skills and a reduction in available human capital and, consequently, impacts the country's growth potential.

The quality of female employment remains more insecure. Of the 4.238 million part-time contracts in Italy, 74.2 per cent are held by women, and a significant share is involuntary part-time, due to the absence of alternatives or the need to reconcile work and family responsibilities.

This employment model contributes to other inequalities, starting with the pay gap: women earn on average about 25.7 per cent less than men, with a gap that reportedly widens over the course of a career, according to the latest INPS data calculated on the pay in the year divided by the number of paid days in the year. 

Five factors contribute to this gap: the unequal use of time, school segregation, horizontal segregation, vertical segregation and outright discrimination, according to Professor Luisa Rosti of the University of Pavia. 

In the primary economic sectors, the difference is 19.7 per cent in manufacturing, 23.6 per cent in trade, 15.7 per cent in accommodation and food services, and 31.7 per cent in financial and insurance sectors. 

Among female professionals, the pay gap rises to 45 per cent, data from Adepp and Confprofessioni’s respective annual reports showed.

Source: Il Sole 24 Ore

(Links via original reporting)