Female entrepreneurship in Italy is slowly making progress, although abroad, the position of our country is perceived as disadvantaged from the point of view of gender equality, in comparison with other continental realities.
This is what we read in the report “Female companies: competitive strategies and performance differentials in Italian manufacturing. What evidence in a matching analysis” prepared by Studies and Research Department of Intesa Sanpaolo.
Over the last few years, Italy has launched measures and incentives aimed at encouraging greater participation of women within company management, first of all the law n.120 of 2012 on female quotas in the Boards of Directors of listed companies. A provision that takes the form of the first real intervention by the Italian state in the field of gender equality in the world of work.
Intesa Sanpaolo's analysis shows that the so-called pink companies are now widespread in a plurality of sectors, including those with a high capital, research and development intensity, even if the majority of female entrepreneurs are currently concentrated in smaller realities. However, the study shows a significant propensity of women's businesses to international projection, but also a greater attention to marketing and innovation.
In addition, the report finally highlights that, among the companies analyzed in the context of the same reference period (2008-2013) "it is not possible to identify no significant difference in results between women's and non-women's businesses.
