Roma – This year Italy has the presidency of the G20 and at the end of October the heads of state and government of 19 countries will meet in Rome plus the representatives of the European Union who together represent 85% of world GDP. The Women20 summit speaks to them – the G20 group that deals with gender equality and represents civil society – which is held in Rome from today until Thursday 15 July: three days to discuss women’s work and entrepreneurship, of opportunities offered by digital development, of access to education and care services, of equal presence in decision-making places, but also of the wage and technological gap, of contrasting gender stereotypes and violence against women.
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“There will be scientists, economists, women fighting for the rights of their land, a broad representation” to “put women back at the center of change” and trace a “roadmap for equality”, she says. Linda Laura Sabbadini, president of Women20.
The pandemic has had a very severe impact on the female world, “on work, but also on education, where there have been prolonged lockdowns with boys and girls not attending school,” she explains. Women have been “at the same time pillar of the welfare system and of the fight against the pandemic, but their situation has worsened”.
International statistics leave no room for ambiguity: the pandemic has exacerbated inequalities by moving away from the goal of true equality globally. “Women are 24% more vulnerable to losing their jobs and suffering more marked falls in income. The already high gender pay gap has widened, including in the health sector”, confirms the UN.
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Another generation of women “will have to wait for gender equality, it will take 135.6 years to bridge the global gap”, calculates the World Economic Forum, which in its annual report gives the extent of the challenges. In politics, first of all, where the gender gap remains the most significant: in 156 countries around the world, women represent only 26.1% of about 35 thousand parliamentary seats and only 22.6% of over 3,400 ministers in the world. But even in participation in economic life, the gap is substantial: among the top positions, women in the world still represent only 27% of all managers, says the Wef.
Women20 will not only serve to indicate the direction of change but also the concrete objectives to achieve it, with proposals and strategies to increase female employment and invest in women’s entrepreneurship, improve assistance and care services, think about “a global action plan against gender stereotypes and for cultural change “and to put the fight against violence against women at the center of the international agenda. “For the first time, the G20 is a G20 dealing with a broad spectrum of gender issues while traditionally focused on economic issues”, reflects Sabbadini. “Equality, female empowerment are basic strategic objectives, the interaction between politics and civil society is central to achieving them. We have the opportunity to realize the full potential of women. Not only will sustainable growth increase, but it will also be an imperative for the existence of creative and inclusive societies, supported by active citizenship. Equality is a great challenge that can be won. “
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