Daniela Del Boca 16.03.2010
Traditionally the desire for greater integration of women in the world work is based on principles of equity. Now some papers argue that the exploitation of women also meet criteria of economic efficiency. A particularly interesting approach for Italy, where female participation is very low, difficult to reach women at the top of companies and institutions, and even fertility is low. Policies and interventions that support the choices of work and family can also be good to our GDP.
last week released two books titled very similar: Revolution and WOMENOMICS WOMENOMICS. (1) What is it?
WOMEN AND ECONOMY
The womenomics was introduced by Kathy Matsui, an analyst Goldman Sachs, Economist and taken to define the argument that motivates the need for increased integration of women in aprincipi not only on the basis of fairness, but also based on principles of economic efficiency.
Until a few years ago, most of the speeches in favor of greater integration of women into the work appealed to the principles of equity. Integrate and enhance women had to be done because it was right. Now, with this and other recent essays and interventions that share the same approach, we change the point of view. (2) Greater integration and exploitation of women not only responds to the principles of fairness, but also meets the criteria of economic efficiency.
Matsui's study focused mainly on the Japanese economy has long been characterized by a decline in participation of women at work and on their presence in leadership roles among the lowest among developed countries. Japan is very similar to Italy. In both countries are set to the low participation of women in labor, low birth rates and a strong economic stagnation. Italy is in Europe, the countries with the worst results in terms of gender differentials, in particular with regard to work and politics. This would show, especially for our country, a growth potential that more and better use of capacity women would put to good use. Close the gap between male and female presence in the world of work would also help to alleviate the pressing problem of the sustainability of pensions: increasing the number of employed among the working-age people, in fact, reduce the "dependency ratio", ie that between pensioners and workers.
THE CASE OF ITALY
Such an approach is particularly important for Italy, especially at a time in which the position of women seems to get worse instead of better. According to Istat, 2009, not only the female participation rate stopped in the last decade to 46 per cent is slightly decrease, but the unemployment rate drops, especially in the South, a signal of discouragement and resignation. The Gender Gap Index 2009 sees the seventy-second place Italy in the fall compared to the positions of previous years. Among women, the incidence of temporary employment has grown and is now more than 20 percent, twice as many males. Birth rates remain very low and slightly downhill in the last two years, while poverty is growing among single-income families today are the single-income, 72 percent of the lowest quintile and 10 percent of the top quintile. Finally, Italian women are less visible and less politically represented at the top of the institutions and career compared to other countries. According to European Commission statistics, our country is the twenty-ninth (across thirty-three surveyed) for the number of women on boards of listed companies.
The composition of boards of companies shows that Mib30 Board on 466 charges, only eleven are held by women. Yet even in Italy in various ways women show their desire to invest in the work. As in most developed countries, rates of female education are higher than those of men, the girls come up with better grades and get to the qualifications in a shorter time. They come out even before the family of origin, at least two to three years on average before their male counterparts. If in the mid-nineties the Italian women around the age of thirty who had already formed a union of the couple were about 65 percent in 2009, that value dropped to third, one of the lowest in Europe, while the ' average age at birth exceeded 30 years, one of the highest in Europe. All this is a sign of commitment and desire of women to participate actively and continuously in the labor market, but also the high price they are paying. So why firms do not seek to exploit this more human capital and potential of this highly skilled labor? Not only macro research shows a relationship between female employment and economic growth , research shows that it is the micro working groups "mixed" to be more productive than all male or all female groups. (3) If in most companies, but - we add - even in most institutions, the executive committees and boards are composed exclusively of males between 50 and 65 years, recruitment and career progression of women follow the criteria of the dominant gender and based on that culture and that language. However, we still add the entry of women into the labor market was also the result of a "masculinization" of female role models, while nothing similar occurred in the patterns of career and leadership styles of men. On the one hand, corporate cultures have been characterized by models, styles and periods of work "masculine", even when companies have begun to be populated by legions of female staff. Second, as shown by international comparisons, the growth in female labor participation has paid little or no growth in participation of men in housework and child care even when women work with similar schedules, particularly in Italy. In this context it is important to try to make reconciliation policies, part-time work and parenting leave, more gender-neutral. We need policies or measures that support the choices of work and family men and women. In the Scandinavian countries and France, public policies supporting working men and women: the leaves are not too long can be used by both parents, even part time, were introduced various kinds and types of services for parents, is expected to telework from home, again for both parents. And in those countries, female participation in the labor market and fertility are higher than elsewhere in Europe.
(1) A. Wittenberg-Cox and Maitland A Revolution WOMENOMICS, Il Sole 24 Ore, 2010 eclair eKatty KayWomenomics Shipman, Cairo 2010.
(2) M. Ferrera The factor D, Mondadori 2007
(3) As shown by the calculations of a study by Goldman Sachs cited in WOMENOMICS revolution, closing the gender gap in employment could result in increases of 13 per cent of GDP in the Eurozone, 16 percent in Japan and much of 22 percent in Italy.
Traditionally the desire for greater integration of women in the world work is based on principles of equity. Now some papers argue that the exploitation of women also meet criteria of economic efficiency. A particularly interesting approach for Italy, where female participation is very low, difficult to reach women at the top of companies and institutions, and even fertility is low. Policies and interventions that support the choices of work and family can also be good to our GDP.
last week released two books titled very similar: Revolution and WOMENOMICS WOMENOMICS. (1) What is it?
WOMEN AND ECONOMY
The womenomics was introduced by Kathy Matsui, an analyst Goldman Sachs, Economist and taken to define the argument that motivates the need for increased integration of women in aprincipi not only on the basis of fairness, but also based on principles of economic efficiency.
Until a few years ago, most of the speeches in favor of greater integration of women into the work appealed to the principles of equity. Integrate and enhance women had to be done because it was right. Now, with this and other recent essays and interventions that share the same approach, we change the point of view. (2) Greater integration and exploitation of women not only responds to the principles of fairness, but also meets the criteria of economic efficiency.
Matsui's study focused mainly on the Japanese economy has long been characterized by a decline in participation of women at work and on their presence in leadership roles among the lowest among developed countries. Japan is very similar to Italy. In both countries are set to the low participation of women in labor, low birth rates and a strong economic stagnation. Italy is in Europe, the countries with the worst results in terms of gender differentials, in particular with regard to work and politics. This would show, especially for our country, a growth potential that more and better use of capacity women would put to good use. Close the gap between male and female presence in the world of work would also help to alleviate the pressing problem of the sustainability of pensions: increasing the number of employed among the working-age people, in fact, reduce the "dependency ratio", ie that between pensioners and workers.
THE CASE OF ITALY
Such an approach is particularly important for Italy, especially at a time in which the position of women seems to get worse instead of better. According to Istat, 2009, not only the female participation rate stopped in the last decade to 46 per cent is slightly decrease, but the unemployment rate drops, especially in the South, a signal of discouragement and resignation. The Gender Gap Index 2009 sees the seventy-second place Italy in the fall compared to the positions of previous years. Among women, the incidence of temporary employment has grown and is now more than 20 percent, twice as many males. Birth rates remain very low and slightly downhill in the last two years, while poverty is growing among single-income families today are the single-income, 72 percent of the lowest quintile and 10 percent of the top quintile. Finally, Italian women are less visible and less politically represented at the top of the institutions and career compared to other countries. According to European Commission statistics, our country is the twenty-ninth (across thirty-three surveyed) for the number of women on boards of listed companies.
The composition of boards of companies shows that Mib30 Board on 466 charges, only eleven are held by women. Yet even in Italy in various ways women show their desire to invest in the work. As in most developed countries, rates of female education are higher than those of men, the girls come up with better grades and get to the qualifications in a shorter time. They come out even before the family of origin, at least two to three years on average before their male counterparts. If in the mid-nineties the Italian women around the age of thirty who had already formed a union of the couple were about 65 percent in 2009, that value dropped to third, one of the lowest in Europe, while the ' average age at birth exceeded 30 years, one of the highest in Europe. All this is a sign of commitment and desire of women to participate actively and continuously in the labor market, but also the high price they are paying. So why firms do not seek to exploit this more human capital and potential of this highly skilled labor? Not only macro research shows a relationship between female employment and economic growth , research shows that it is the micro working groups "mixed" to be more productive than all male or all female groups. (3) If in most companies, but - we add - even in most institutions, the executive committees and boards are composed exclusively of males between 50 and 65 years, recruitment and career progression of women follow the criteria of the dominant gender and based on that culture and that language. However, we still add the entry of women into the labor market was also the result of a "masculinization" of female role models, while nothing similar occurred in the patterns of career and leadership styles of men. On the one hand, corporate cultures have been characterized by models, styles and periods of work "masculine", even when companies have begun to be populated by legions of female staff. Second, as shown by international comparisons, the growth in female labor participation has paid little or no growth in participation of men in housework and child care even when women work with similar schedules, particularly in Italy. In this context it is important to try to make reconciliation policies, part-time work and parenting leave, more gender-neutral. We need policies or measures that support the choices of work and family men and women. In the Scandinavian countries and France, public policies supporting working men and women: the leaves are not too long can be used by both parents, even part time, were introduced various kinds and types of services for parents, is expected to telework from home, again for both parents. And in those countries, female participation in the labor market and fertility are higher than elsewhere in Europe.
(1) A. Wittenberg-Cox and Maitland A Revolution WOMENOMICS, Il Sole 24 Ore, 2010 eclair eKatty KayWomenomics Shipman, Cairo 2010.
(2) M. Ferrera The factor D, Mondadori 2007
(3) As shown by the calculations of a study by Goldman Sachs cited in WOMENOMICS revolution, closing the gender gap in employment could result in increases of 13 per cent of GDP in the Eurozone, 16 percent in Japan and much of 22 percent in Italy.
