One year after the launch of the first certifications on gender equality in Italy, the preview of the research conducted by ALTIS Alta Scuola Impresa e Società dell'Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and Bureau Veritas Italia was presented today, 20 June 2023, in Milan, to take stock of the path taken by Italian companies in this area .
An initial snapshot of the consideration of Equal Opportunities in our country emerged, the first step for a broader survey that, in the coming months, will make it possible to monitor and understand the current trends, thanks also to the foreseeable increase in the number of certified companies. A picture certainly not without challenges, which was discussed at the presentation conference entitled "Gender equality: here are the focuses to really change", which opened with speeches by Gianluca Puliga, Director of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Department for Equal Opportunities and Elena Mocchio, Head of Innovation and Development, UNI Italian Standardization Body.
The curators of the research, Laura Maria Ferri, Professor and Researcher at ALTIS Università Cattolica and Chiara Arrighini, ALTIS Researcher, then showed the results that emerged from the sample analyzed in the research, consisting of 48 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, based on 6 indicators: culture and strategy; governance; HR processes; growth and inclusion; fair remuneration; protection of parenthood and work-life balance. This was followed by two round tables, moderated by Claudia Strasserra, Chief Reputation Officer, Bureau Veritas Italia, featuring some of the companies that were the first to take up the challenge of Gender Equality certification, strengthened by their already consolidated performance and at the same time motivated by the search for continuous improvement.
Laura Maria Ferri summarized the results of this first phase as follows: "The research conducted, although still an anticipation based on 48 companies, shows how companies have worked to define a structured management system to address the issue of Equal Opportunities in their organizations, but it still takes some time before we can see the results of this effort. The data, in fact, underline how women are still underrepresented, especially in positions of responsibility and how they still struggle to grow professionally. It emerges that the issue of dedicated training and the ability to act on mechanisms for the fair recognition and enhancement of the contribution of all people – such as, for example, remuneration policies, measures in favour of parenthood or internal mobility processes – are the levers on which it is necessary to find more effective innovative solutions, capable of translating into effective change what is currently largely integrated into the definition of strategies and policies".
Diego D'Amato, President and CEO of Bureau Veritas Italia, said: "Gender equality is far from achieved in Italy but, thanks to the UNI/PdR 125 certification, we now have a formidable lever to bring gray areas to light, activating change. An open front is that of parenthood: the culture that exempts men from family responsibilities must change, concentrating the burden on women, with a high probability of repercussions on careers. Equality in the company is a reflection of equality in the family: parents must contribute – strengthened by their peculiarities that complement each other – to the care of their children, sharing responsibilities. We have to raise a new generation without conditioning and stereotypes and the example we set at home is the most important. I am proud that five companies of the Bureau Veritas group have been certified for gender equality, accepting the challenge of a change that is, above all, cultural. For us, gender equality is the foundation of a broader approach to inclusion, which protects and enhances all forms of diversity."
PREVIEW SUMMARY
The research analyzed the data relating to the companies operating in Italy that were the first to tackle the path for UNI/PdR 125:2022 certification with Bureau Veritas, denoting a high level of attention and preparation towards these issues. The 48 companies considered – out of a base of about 400 certified to date – have made it possible to grasp the first signals around the most consolidated behaviors and the areas on which it is, instead, necessary to stimulate a more incisive commitment. The results show that:
- Almost all of the companies considered have adopted strategies, policies and processes useful for introducing the issue of Equal Opportunities into the culture and operations of the organization: of the 48 companies in the sample, 45 have defined human resources management and development processes in favor of inclusion, gender equality and integration and 35 of the 43 small, medium and large companies are equipped with processes for managing forms of non-inclusiveness. Considering only the 28 medium and large companies in the sample, 25 have dedicated a budget to the development of activities to support inclusion.
- The data indicate room for improvement in relation to the commitment to ad hoc training and the effective presence and consideration of women in the activity. In particular, the areas to focus on concern growth opportunities and job inclusion. Women still struggle to be assigned positions of responsibility: only 19 small, medium and large companies out of the 43 in the sample record a better presence of women managers than in the sector (medium and large companies) or in the last two years (small companies). In 16 of the 28 medium and large companies, the figure is higher than the sector average in relation to women who hold front-line positions reporting directly to top management or who are delegated to manage the budget. This signals the importance of supporting policies that guarantee the possibility of internal growth towards managerial positions.
- Companies suffer from a pay gap both in relation to the average wage and with respect to the variable component: in 16 of the 48 certified companies the pay gap for the same level is greater than 10% and in 11 of the 28 medium and large companies the percentage of women promoted is lower than that of men.
- It is also necessary to develop the ability to integrate mechanisms through which to enhance parenthood, through benefits and initiatives that allow to enhance possible new skills and protect the relationship with the organization: 11 of the 48 companies, in fact, do not have policies for the maintenance of benefits and initiatives that enhance the experience of parenthood.
- The use of parental leave by men is very limited, which denotes, on the one hand, the persistence of a culture oriented towards the prevalence of the role of the mother in the first years of the children's life and, on the other, a probable difficulty in promoting effective measures for the full implementation of parental and paternity leave. Only 17 of the 28 medium-sized and large companies have data on the use of parental leave by the of men.
