Female employment, in the South only 3 out of 10 women work. Half of the North

FEMALE EMPLOYMENT IN THE SOUTH –

On International Women's Day, the Ministry of Labor released new employment data in Italy. And they're not bad. First of all, in 2015 layoffs decreased by 8,4 percent: there were 77.605 fewer than the ceiling of almost 1 million recorded in 2014.The tax breaks granted to companies with the Jobs Act are starting to work, even if they are very costly for the State and generous for companies: 24.180 euros per year for each new permanent hire. Hence the data of 712.620 more new permanent contracts than in 2014A step forward, certainly.

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FEMALE UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE SOUTH –

In this picture what still remains in black is precisely women's work. Especially in the South: In the southern regions, in fact, only three out of ten women work, approximately 30 percent. This represents a huge waste of resources, opportunities, and growth, and a major social and sexual injustice.The government should focus its efforts on this, to boost female employment in the South and at least bring it closer to the levels of the northern regions.

DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN AT WORK –

Discrimination against women in companies continues. Despite the fine words and many commitments, including those of supposed gender quotas, Presidents and CEOs of listed Italian companies are only 7 percent of the total. And often the presence of the women in the boards of directors is accompanied by a rule: they do not have delegations. Yet it is women who are moving a good part of the economya, supporting family incomes and increasing the number of businesses, especially in the agriculture and tourism sectors. Do we want to take this opportunity into account for the country's economic system?

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