Equal pay, Chiara Gribaudo: “More power to women”

Equal pay possible (finally). The chamber unanimously approved, with 393 votes and no opposition, the bill to ensure that the gender pay gap, that is, the wage gap between women and men can be bridged. Now, the ball passes to the Senate, with the hope that this bill, which for once sees all the political forces agree, will not come to a halt as has already happened with so many bills. One above all, the Zan bill.

But what would change if this proposal became law? We asked the first writer and rapporteur, Chiara Gribaudo, deputy of the Democratic Party.

What is the work behind this bill?

“There is the commitment of many women, of all political forces, to put aside differences and be able to reach the goal of a new law for equal pay and equal opportunities in the workplace. We started from different texts but from a common need, that of responding to the testimonies of many poorly paid workers, fired, discarded, just for being women. Not only with data, but with the experience of many, we have been able to build a unified text ».

Yes unanimous in the Chamber. What do you expect from the Senate?

«An effort to bring home one of the few laws of parliamentary origin of this legislature. This law demonstrates that when there is room for dialogue, Parliament is able to do its part. An added value that the Senate should consider in order to approve the law as soon as possible ».

What does the bill foresee?

«We implement a fundamental principle of transparency: companies over 50 employees will have to compile a report on the personnel situation which will contain many indicators, from wages to positions, from leave to recruitment. The list of companies that will transmit the report, and that of those who do not transmit it, will be public, and the data will be available for consultation by workers, trade unions, labor inspectors, equality councilors. A missed presentation or with false information can lead to the revocation of the contribution relief and penalties from 1000 to 5000 euros “.

And who will instead favor the work of women?

«Whoever adopts company policies aimed at favoring the work of women, will receive the Certification of equality, which opens the door to tax relief of up to 50 thousand euros per year and advantageous conditions in tenders for European funds. Finally, we also extend the rules of the Gulf-Moscow law on gender representation in listed companies to public companies. A necessary equation that resolves a hitherto unjustified difference between public and private.

What is the Italian situation today with respect to the gender pay gap?

“The wage gap in our country can reach up to 20%, with the same job and hours worked, in the private sector. Based on the latest report on the gender gap of the World Economic Forum, Italy still ranks 76th out of 153 countries in the world ranking. The female employment rate is still at 48.9%, the lowest among European countries, and 19 points away from male employment. One in three employed women (32.4 percent, ie more than 3 million workers) works part time, but involuntarily: two out of three would like to work full time. 11.1 per cent of mothers with at least one child have never worked: almost three times the European average of 3.7 per cent. According to INPS, 20 years after the birth of a child, the salary of a working woman can be 12% lower than a woman who has not had children. And the more women study, the wider the gap. Women represent 56% of Italian graduates and yet they remain a minority among managers and company executives (28.4%). The wage gap must be tackled in many forms ».