Today, women represent about half of the world's population: about 3,7 billion out of a total of 7,4, but their presence in the labor market and their influence in the economic, political and social spheres is on average lower than their demographic weight. According to the World Bank, in 150 countries there is still at least one law that discriminates against women.
One of the central themes in the debate on gender differences is that relating to the pay gap. According to the ILO, the average wage gap between men and women in the world is 23% and at the current rate of reduction it would only be eliminated in 70 years. Maternity and family care are factors which, by pushing women towards part-time or flexible work, slow down their careers, explaining a large part of the wage gap. A study conducted in the United States showed that for millennials (20-24 years) the pay gap with their peers is around 5%, but it tends to widen for women aged 35 to 44.
Even more than in the economic sphere, the gap between men and women is marked in politics and in the sphere of government. Since the beginning of this century some of the (by now few) countries in which the female vote was still barred have opened up to universal suffrage: this is the case of Oman in 2003, Kuwait in 2005 and Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in 2006. The female component also represents the majority among those entitled to vote in many developed countries, but government positions held by women are still few: according to the OECD in 2015, only 16 heads of state and 20% were women worldwide. of the heads of government.
In Italy, the reduction of the gender gap between men and women in the economic, social and political fields has come to a halt after showing signs of improvement in recent years. According to the World Economic Forum in 2016 our country dropped to 50th position in a ranking of 144 states. Above all, the negative assessment of the participation and opportunities offered to Italian women in the labor market weighs heavily.
In our country, a positive note concerns the pace of creation of new female businesses. According to data published by Unioncamere, in 2016 the number of businesses founded by women grew by 0,7% (almost 10 businesses more than in 2015); women businesses registered in the register of the Chambers of Commerce thus reach 1.321.862, 21,8% of the total.
Attachments: Focus Bnl – Women's economy, work and government
