Women and work in Italy: a long road to travel

The Chamber's report shows that the labor market is still characterized by a accentuated gender pay gapEurostat5%43%

As reported by the periodic survey on the evolution of wages carried out by ODM Consulting the gender pay gap in Italy stands at 10.7% in 2023

A further critical issue concerns the characteristics of the employment: largely precarious and in low-profit or not very strategic sectors, with a large prevalence of part-time jobs.

The low participation of women is determined by various factors, including the absence or scarcity of services that help reconcile life and work. One in five women leaves the job market following motherhood and the decision is determined for over half of women (52%19%76.6%

According to the ISTAT SDGs 2023 Report

Incentives for gender equality

The legislator has provided for certain contribution exemptions

Companies that hire on a fixed-term or permanent basis or transform a previous fixed-term contract into a permanent one are entitled to a reduction in the contributions owed by the employer equal to 50% for 2024, with no limit on the annual amount.

The benefit refers to female workers:

• at least 50 years of age and unemployed for over 12 months;
• of any age, resident anywhere and without regularly paid employment for at least 24 months;
• of any age, without regularly paid employment for at least 6 months and resident in a disadvantaged area;
• of any age, without regularly paid employment for at least 6 months with professions or work activities in economic sectors characterized by an accentuated gender disparity.

The maximum duration of use of the incentive is equal to:

• 12 months in the case of a fixed-term contract;
• 18 months in the case of a permanent contract or transformation of a previous relationship into a permanent contract. In the latter case, if the relationship was facilitated from the origin, the duration starts from the date of hiring, vice versa from the date of transformation.

The hiring of unemployed women who are victims of violence on a fixed-term or permanent basis, as well as the transformation of a previous fixed-term contract into a permanent contract, gives the right to a total exemption from contributions, up to a maximum amount of 8,000 euros per year

The duration of the benefit is equal to:

• 24 months if the contract is for an indefinite period;
• 18 months in the case of transformation to a permanent one and the calculation takes place from the date of hiring to a fixed-term contract;
• 12 months if the contract is for a fixed term.

The contribution exemption is valid for the three-year period 2024-2026 and is considered state aid and therefore subject to the limitation of 300,000 euros for 3 financial years.

Women's businesses

In the 2023 annual report, Istat reports that female businesses active in 2020 were 1 million and 200 thousand (around 27% of the total

In order to encourage female businesses, the 2021 budget law established the Women's Enterprise Fund, with programs and initiatives for the dissemination of the culture of entrepreneurship among the female population, training programs and orientation towards STEM study paths

For 2024, the Made in Italy DDL has allocated new funds for female entrepreneurship, amounting to 10 million euros. We talk about fizero-interest subsidized financing, with a maximum duration of 10 years for projects involving investments of up to 3 million euros