• by Emma Bonino
• Wednesday, February 09, 2011
• Inter Press Service

Italy is one of the most backward countries in Europe in almost every indicator of gender equality. This is despite the fact that in terms of advanced degrees and qualifications, women surpass men and, in the last 30 years, have reached positions of power in all sectors of the market and proven that a company improves with a woman at the helm, writes Emma Bonino, leader of the Radical Party, Vice President of the Italian Senate, and Honourary President of the Committee on Equality and Inequality.

Though I am not a fan of quotas, it is known that even in Norway, a paradise for women, a law was necessary to bring corporate management by women to 40 percent in companies listed on the Norwegian stock market. The law worked: afterwards the companies performed better than expected.

In Italy, the presence of women in these sanctuaries of economic power is under five percent. The extreme gravity of the situation in Italy these days, especially from the perspective of women, could make people wish that sooner or later a major cultural upheaval would take place and that women would cease being represented as victims and see themselves as full participants in economic and social development. Unfortunately, correcting the plight of women in Italy will be very difficult given the complete lack of both awareness of the problem and the will to do anything about it, not only in the ruling class but also among the vast majority of Italians. IGHT IPS)

(*) Emma Bonino, leader of the Radical Party, is Vice President of the Italian Senate and Honourary President of the Committee on Equality and Inequality.

//NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN CANADA, CZECH REPUBLIC, IRELAND, POLAND, THE UNITED STATES, AND THE UNITED KINGDOM//

© Inter Press Service (2011) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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