Lia Quartapelle, Pd group leader for the Foreign Affairs and Community Affairs Commission of the Chamber of Deputies in the outgoing legislature, has been in the Democratic Party since 2007. Born in Varese, she is an economist and expert in international politics. She is still a researcher at the Institute for International Political Studies in Milan (ISPI) and is a candidate, for the Democratic Party, in the Chamber of Deputies in the Milan 2 constituency.
Italy has a serious demographic problem. Having children seems to many young couples more a privilege to be conquered than a right to be enjoyed. And it is mainly women who pay the price, forced to choose between work and family. Two dimensions that should be complementary for their realization and personal affirmation, and which instead often turn out to be alternatives.
The participation rate of women in the labor market in Italy it stands at 48% versus 66% of men. And it is not only a problem of the quantity of women who work, but also of the quality of their work, as demonstrated by the unacceptable reality whereby, with the same educational qualifications and positions, women's wages are on average lower than those of fellow man.
Actions, including regulatory ones, are needed to combat gender inequalities. In the last legislature we waged important battles. We are committed to contrast to the phenomenon of blank resignations, preventing abuses by employers. We have approved measures to support parenting, through the expansion of compulsory paternity leave and aid to families to pay for babysitting and daycare. Among the various interventions, the option for women should also be mentioned, according to which the dual role of workers inside and outside the home is recognized for the purposes of pension calculations.
These are some important victories in the context of the sweet, slow and radical revolution that women continue to carry on for the benefit of all of society. What is not always said enough, in fact, is that valuing women is good for everyone. And it is everyone's responsibility.
For my parliamentary work, they are therefore priority objectives that I intend to pursue with a package that includes first of all measures for equal pay at entry, on the Icelandic model. I will also fight for the spread of flexible working and for the extension of the period of compulsory paternity leave to two months, as a paid individual right that cannot be transferred to the mother. Thus, I intend to make the opportunity cost of hiring a young woman and a young man of childbearing age comparable, as well as to stimulate the sharing of family responsibilities by both parents.
The revolution that Italians and men and women are waiting for is in fact also a cultural revolution, to be accompanied by educational measures on equality and affectivity in first and second level secondary schools, as well as training and support programs for primary school teachers.
Starting from Milan, the city that often anticipates and drives the development of Italy, in this way we will break down inequalities and gender stereotypes, to strengthen economic growth and rapidly improve the demographic rate.
