Una womens out of five he does not work anymore after the birth of a child.
This is what emerges from the “Plus Report 2022. Understanding the complexity of work” which collects the results of the Inapp-Plus survey conducted on a sample of 45.000 individuals aged 18 to 74.
After the birth of a child, almost 1 out of 5 women (18%) between the ages of 18 and 49 no longer works and only 43,6% remain employed (29% in the South and Islands). There main motivation is the conciliation between work and care (52%), followed by non-renewal of the contract or dismissal (29%) and from assessments of opportunity and economic convenience (19%). The share of those who did not work either before or after maternity is 31,8% and 6,6% that of those who found work after the birth of their child.
“It is a phenomenon that has heavy demographic and economic effects. Italy is the last country in terms of fertility rate in Europe, and in 2022 the historic minimum of 400.000 new births was reached; moreover, the maternity continues to be a structural cause of fall in female participation. In addition to the brain drain, the country can no longer tolerate this other form of dispersion of human capital linked to the lack of value and support for female employment." noted Prof. Sebastian Fadda, president ofInapp.
Family status, welfare services and education weigh heavily
Il decline in female participation after motherhood is also burdened by family conditions, welfare services and education. In families made up of only one parent, the quotas for leaving employment after maternity leave are higher: 23% against 18% among couples. In couples, on the other hand, the permanence in non-employment is greater: 32% against 20% among single parents.
A cause of abandonment is also given by lack of availability and accessibility, also economic, of the nursery schools: “The scarcity of early childhood services is confirmed by the percentage of employed parents who declare that they have not sent their children aged between 0 and 36 months to nursery school (56%). Among those who instead send their children to nursery school, just under half (48%) used the public service while a share equal to 40% used a private nursery school and as disposable income increases, recourse to nursery services increases private” is what is highlighted in the report. Are the grandparents (58%) themost used alternative for families who cannot take on all the childcare commitments. This resource is mainly used in the South (63%).
Il degree it only helps in part from job loss. Only the most educated women (65% of graduates) remain in the job market, but more than 16% (both graduates and graduates) stop working against 21% of mothers with a middle school diploma.
The solution? more flexible working hours
In order to reconcile work and childcare, the main request is that of a more flexible working hours, while 10% indicates the possibility of working in telework o smart working. The use of parental leave it is 68,6% for women against 26,9% for men, a sign that the female component still has the role of main caregiver.
“Il path of women towards full and stable employment is often a real one obstacle course and this despite the fact that among female workers there are percentages of graduates and highly qualified more than double compared to men. But a marked one is observed distance also in the access and characteristics of the responsibility roles: Women in top roles have only one person supervised versus seven people supervised by male workers. The change of pace cannot be entrusted to individual spot interventions, but requires a organic convergence of all policies (from fiscal policies to welfare systems, from working hours to family policies) to support, on the one hand, the choices to procreate and raise children and, on the other hand, effective gender equality throughout the working and social life, and I would like to add, also pensions” he underlined Fadda.
