Date: Tue Nov 07 2006 - 11:17:00 AST
WUNRN
http://www.wunrn.com
http://www.neww.org.pl/en.php/news/news/1.html?&nw=3008&re=2
Italy - Women Still Earn Less Than Men
Source: www.dotcomwomen.com
Italy's working women earn about three quarters of what men earn on
average, according to new statistics from ISFOL, the government-funded
research institute.
For salaried workers women the difference is about 23%, or 3,800 euros
a year, while for the self-employed the difference can be as much as 40%,
ISFOL said in a report on the Italian labour market.
Researchers stressed that cases where women and men earned different
sums for the same work were rare. The difference is more to do with the type
of position the two sexes generally occupy.
"There is a tendency to avoid giving roles with more responsibility to
women basically because employers are afraid that childcare duties will be a
distraction," said Emiliano Mandrone.
He said this was particularly common in the private sector, where
bosses were concerned that women would either underperform or disappear for
a year to have a baby.
As a result, men tend to get the top jobs and the fat salaries that go
with them.
The startling difference between the pay received by self-employed men
and women was mainly the result of women working fewer hours, the report
said.
ISFOL's report showed that maternity was a key problem for female
employment in Italy, which at 45% is already the lowest in Europe.
Three fifths of the women questioned by the survey said that before
having a child they worked. After childbirth that number went down to half.
"This is partly for cultural reasons and partly because there aren't
enough state-run nurseries," Mandrone said, suggesting that society was
failing to recognise the importance of child-rearing to its future.
See more in:
www.ginsc.net
News author: GINSC.NET - NEWW Focal Point Caucasus 2006-10-24
15:03:55
