Gender equality as a business commitment: from reflection to (necessary) action

For a long time, the (pursuit of) gender equality in the labor market has been at the forefront of social and corporate debates, moving within that space and remaining there, barricaded within a framework of persistent and complex challenges.

While the progress made in recent decades should not be ignored or underestimated, national and international statistical data lead us to the irrefutable conclusion that this issue is still far from being resolved.

To this day, these (among others) remain the premises that uphold the argument:

• Women, on average, earn less than men, with discrepancies worsening as qualifications and responsibilities increase.
• Differences in prestige and salary levels throughout the hierarchy tend to favor men.
• The majority of full-time workers are men, while part-time workers are mostly women.
• The unemployment rate for women is higher than that of men.
• The percentage of the inactive population due to “care responsibilities” is significantly higher among women.

Issues such as the gender pay gap, the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions, and the difficulties in balancing work and personal life continue—justifiably—to raise alarms, making it increasingly difficult to ignore them.

While it is true that this issue extends far beyond the workplace and is deeply rooted in traditional social representations and evident asymmetries in the distribution of responsibilities between men and women, there can be no doubt that companies (as employers) can and should play a fundamental role in reducing these disparities.

Ultimately, what is being sought are signs of active, responsible, and necessarily collective management of this challenge. This means that, along the path to be taken, three fundamental steps must be distinguished:

1. First and foremost, recognizing the problem is essential—after all, even great distances are reached by taking the first step.
2. From there, it is important to understand that various legal and organizational tools are available to entities to prevent and rectify situations of inequality and discrimination.
3. Finally, effective action must be taken.

Awareness alone—without intention or action—will not combat inequality and discrimination. Action is needed, both upstream and downstream. This means preventing, countering, and correcting.

Particularly in relation to issues such as the gender pay gap and work-life balance, it is crucial for companies to adopt and implement transparent policies—whether in recruitment, remuneration, or career progression—based on neutral and objective criteria such as competence, experience, and qualifications.

Taking a step back to gain a clearer view, we can conclude that the ongoing national labor inspection initiative—carried out by the Authority for Working Conditions (ACT) under Law No. 60/2018, of August 21, which introduced measures to promote pay equity between women and men—despite being a source of concern for many companies, can actually be seen as a valuable opportunity to begin the journey, allowing for a clearer definition of the path ahead.

It is essential to understand when differences can exist, why they exist, and to what extent they can be justified. It is also crucial to be aware of and to properly utilize (without abusing) rights and principles related to parenthood and work-life balance.

Promoting gender equality in the labor market is not just a matter of social justice—it is an urgent commitment to building fair, productive, and sustainable work environments. It is up to companies to recognize their active role in eliminating disparities, adopting concrete measures that will, once and for all, make the long-desired (and necessary) equality a reality.