Female empowerment? Let’s start with financial education

According to aOECD survey – Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development – Italy it is below the average for developed countries e in penultimate place among the G20 countries for both knowledge and behavior in the economic-financial sphere. The point is not to become a financial guru, but more trivially have a careful control of personal and family expenses, to make less use of debt and with greater awareness, to know and use the current welfare systems and the various financial products in the best possible way.

It is a phenomenon, that of little financial awareness which, although of a transversal nature, affects the gender gap, where gender-related stereotypes see an often marginal involvement of the female world, although more inclined to have a wiser and more reasoned relationship with money. Women mistakenly consider themselves to be less skilled, an attitude that weakens their autonomy and decision-making capacity.

To start an outreach program of these issues and the involvement of communities in the territories in which it is present with its network of branches, in 2017, Banco BPM, the banking group born from the merger between Banco Popolare and BPM, creates the Committee for the planning and coordination of financial education activities to which it sets an important goal: increase the skills of the entire population in terms of financial, insurance and welfare issues, knowing full well that only a balanced economic and social development helps the sustainable growth of an organization. This is an important goal, closely linked to the fourth point of theAgenda ONU 2030 dedicated to quality education, which among the many activities launched, now proposes a specific focus on women. This represented the start of a journey in stages, a series of initiatives and webinars in collaboration with FEduF – Foundation for Financial Education and Savings, where a team of specialists organized in 2020 a program on why women should become more effective in this matter. And on the education of children in the responsible use of money, given that the gender gap tends to arise in the family and at school, assuming different attitudes between males and females.

In 2021 it is instead, a series of in-depth studies are planned with experts and testimonials from the academic, financial and trainingfinancial empowerment of women and female leadership even in areas other than strictly banking and finance. The meetings, although designed for women, are also aimed at men, with effective learning techniques that aim at a synergistic growth of the economic culture of the participants. To participate or request more information, you can write to [email protected].