WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT: UPDATED DATA ON ITALY AVAILABLE IN THE CNEL-ISTAT REPORT
On 6 March 2025, the report “Il lavoro delle donne tra ostacoli e opportunità” (Women's Employment between Obstacles and Opportunities) was published; it was produced as part of the CNEL – ISTAT Interinstitutional Agreement in collaboration with the CNEL Equal Opportunities Committee, and it was edited by Cristina Freguja, Maria Clelia Romano and Linda Laura Sabbadini.
This report provides a reliable snapshot of the current situation of female employment in Italy, pointing out, on the one hand, encouraging aspects such as:
- its growth (+6.4% since 2008) – although mainly in relation to female workers over 50 years of age;
- the fact that families in which both members of the couple work are increasing;
- the increase in female entrepreneurs (especially among women under 35).
On the other hand, the report highlights several negative aspects, including the fact that:
- Italy ranks last among the EU Member States for the female employment rate (12.6 % lower than the EU average), with an Italian gender gap of 17.4 % against 9.1 % of the EU average;
- women with permanent employment or self-employment with employees are only 53.9 per cent of female workers, while men in the same situation are 70%, with an important consequence on the pay gap;
- among mothers living with a partner those in work are only 57.2%, while among fathers living with a partner the employment rate is 86.3%;
- more than 7.8 million women are not looking for work (one third of them for family care reasons), while unemployed women looking for work for a year or more account for 54.3%;
- women are better educated than men, but this does not produce more career opportunities (women's employment is concentrated in only 21 occupations, compared to 53 for men), especially in politics-related job positions.
