6 statistics you absolutely must know on the occasion of Women's Day

No mimosas or greeting messages needed.
On the occasion of International Women's Day we are, for once, analytical and pragmatic.
We let data and statistics speak, with the enviable ability to say everything without any words.
The condition of women, in Italy and around the world, is critical and painful.
Every day we women face violence, discrimination and injustice.
The statistics that follow have the great merit of highlighting the struggles that the whole world, not just women, is called upon to face.
Gender equality does not exist and the inequalities measured in numbers, data and statistics show that there are social, economic and cultural emergencies that can no longer be postponed.
For women and for the well-being of all.
1.
Europe without equality The first glance at the state of evolution of gender equality in Europe.
The Gender Equality Index 2023 of the European Institute for Gender Equality shows that there is still a long way to go.
The index is based on the performance of EU countries in six categories: work, money, education, time, power and health.
The graph drawn up by Statista on the data is eloquent in this regard: Factors such as violence against women are also included.
Sweden tops the gender equality ranking, ahead of the Netherlands and Denmark.
The value of the index for the entire Union shows how slowly development is proceeding.
While in the 2015 Gender Equality Index it was 64.4 points, eight reports later it is only 5.8 points higher.
2.
Women and work in Italy In its focus on Italy and the world of work, the European Institute for Gender Equality has highlighted, in the data collected for 2023, that there is still no equality for women in the world in which they enter the world of work.
These are the data: full-time employment rate (%, population 15-89): women 31%, men 51%; duration of working life (years, population from +15): women 27, men 36; career prospects index (points, 0-100, +15 population): women 52, men 56 It should be underlined that in all three parameters considered, the Italian data relating to the female world is lower than the European average.
3.
Women and wages in Italy According to the INPS observatory, in 2022 women earned 8,000 euros less gross than men in the private sector.
According to the survey by Odm Consulting, the HR consultancy company of Gi Group Holding, in the first 9 months of 2023 the gender gap in wages (i.e.
the difference between male and female pay) stood at 10.7%, in line with what was recorded in the previous year.
The gap therefore exists and is persistent.
Consequently, it is women's economic independence that suffers, which is very distant for one in two between 15 and 64 years old.
4.
Women and occupational segregation It is interesting to read the data relating to the sectors in which women are mostly employed.
In them, in fact, we can read a real female segregation.
According to the International Standard Classification of Occupations, in the third quarter of 2023 in the EU women constitute the vast majority of people employed in specific professions: teacher assistants: 92.6%; secretaries: 89.3%; primary school and early childhood teachers: 88.2%; nursing and midwifery professionals: 87.5%; domestic help and domestic, hotel and office helpers: 86.5% In Italy, among people employed in education, health and social assistance activities (%, 15-89 employed), the European Institute for Gender Equality highlighted that in 2023, 27% were women and only 7% were men.
Behind these figures hide cultural prejudices that conceive women as the only ones suitable to cover roles related to care, teaching, care and assistance (stereotypical and obsolete image of the female housewife and teacher).
It is no coincidence that today we are talking about an emergency linked to the significant under-representation of women in so-called STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) studies and sectors.
5.
Women and power in Italy Gender equality in decision-making positions throughout the political, economic and social sphere highlights that women are still in the minority.
In Italy, according to data processed by the European Institute for Gender Equality for 2023, the gaps were calculated as follows: Share of ministers: 24% women, 76% men; Share of members of Parliament: 33% women, 67% men; Share of members of regional assemblies/local municipalities: 24% women, 66% men6.
Women and activities beyond work What do women do when they are not working? Even in the answer to this question, disparities and prejudices are revealed.
The use of time beyond carrying out a profession measures gender inequalities in the distribution of time dedicated to care, domestic work and social activities.
The European Institute for Gender Equality for 2023 showed: People who care for and educate their children or grandchildren, elderly people or people with disabilities, every day: 34% women, 25% men; People who cook and/or do housework every day: 72% women; 34% men; Workers who carry out sporting, cultural or recreational activities outside the home, at least daily or several times a week: 28% women, 34% men; Workers involved in voluntary or charitable activities, at least once a month: 11% women, 13% men Gender equality is therefore one of the unresolved achievements of our time.
In every area, the female world is penalized by stereotypes, ignorance, social, political and cultural involution.