According to the World Economic Forum‘s Global Gender Gap Report 2021,1 while the impact of the pandemic continues to be felt, progress toward gender equality has stalled in several major economies.
In addition to inequality in access to the workforce, in fact, the survey shows that inequality at the economic and wage level continues to be a reality, suffice it to say that despite some progress this year, the ratio of women’s wages to men’s wages in a similar position still remains at 37 percent.
Gaps and discrimination in the labor market result in fewer individual opportunities for those who suffer them, but authoritative studies have long shown that at the societal level, overcoming them would result in an overall increase in efficiency, productivity and much-needed growth.
How to shorten the gap?
Also the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021 provides some solutions for countries to close their gender gaps. Among them:
- Further investment in the care sector
- equitable access to care leave for both male and female workers
- Policies aimed at overcoming gender occupational segregation and the development of mid-career skills for women
- Fair and impartial managerial practices in hiring and promotion processes.
Never before have we had such a unique opportunity to build more resilient and gender-equal economies by investing in inclusive workspaces, creating more egalitarian care systems, supporting more women to achieve leadership positions, having a gender regard in reskilling and reemployment, and introducing gender equality into the future of work.
In our country, the lack of public measures to support the family is certainly one of the reasons that exacerbate the difficulties of reconciling work and life times, but we must also remember the weight of a cultural attitude that still sees childcare as a mother’s prerogative.
Promoting compulsory parental leave for both parental figures goes in this direction, as it aims to facilitate the reconciliation of parenting and working roles by facilitating women’s participation in the labor market and encouraging greater involvement of fathers in childcare.
Parental leave: who does better (and who does worse) in Europe
Spain and Norway are certainly leading the way. In Spain, as of January 1, 2021, leave days are equivalent for both parents: both mothers and fathers are entitled to 16 weeks of non-transferable leave paid at 100%. Specifically, the first 6 are shared, while the next 10 weeks are voluntary and parents can decide whether to use them full-time or share them between them. In Norway, after the first two weeks together, fathers and mothers are each entitled to 15 weeks and an additional 16 weeks to share as they wish. The paternal share cannot be transferred to the mother and, if not used, is lost.
In neighboring Sweden , each parent is entitled to 12 months of leave to share, but at least two months each are mandatory.
In Denmark , on the other hand, there is still some disparity: out of a total of 52 weeks, in fact, 2 are the fathers’, 14 the mothers’, and the rest to be divided equally.
Special mention for Finland, which has long since announced its decision to equalize the months of leave between the two figures.
In Germany , one is entitled to 12 months of parental leave, which becomes 14 if the father also benefits (for at least two months) and with pay equal to 67 percent of salary. Unlike in northern countries, however, it is curious to note that there are still few father figures who decide to benefit from the allowed months, probably due to a cultural legacy that is still very much ingrained.
France had increased the number of days for paternity leave in 2002, but did not then continue on the path of reform. Recently, President Macron has talked about doubling paternity leave from 14 to 28 paid days, the first 7 of which are mandatory.
What about Italy?
In Italy, paternity leave is a very recent achievement. In our country today, fathers are entitled to 10 days of mandatory paid leave. Compared to parental leave, however, there are 10 months to be divided between both parents within the first 12 years of the child’s life.
Yet change is afoot: over the years, the number of leave recipients has increased from 73,000 in 2015 to 135,000 in 2019, according to Inps data.
Still few fathers, however, take advantage of all the leave benefits that are offered to them above the legal minimum, also complicit in the persistence of strong cultural stereotypes.
McKinsey research2 highlighted that 20 percent of workers surveyed admitted that the risk of a setback in their careers was the main perceived disadvantage.
But what are the benefits of equalizing paternity and maternity leave?
Within families, paternity leave would reduce the gender gap by increasing mothers’ wages in the short term. By being able to return to work earlier, in fact, mothers would have access to full pay more quickly, and the ability to resume their career path sooner. It would thus increase the financial well-being of the household in the long term.
In the organizational setting, a positive paternity leave experience and the ability to benefit from parental leave would positively affect employeeengagement and retention .
Globally, despite being half of the working population, women generate 37 percent of GDP. The exclusion from the world of work and the precariousness of much of the female universe represents a loss of opportunity for all: according to recent McKinsey research on women’s work3 taken up by Axa Investment Managers, the gender gap is costing us $28 trillion in terms of the wealth the world would produce if the gap were to be extinguished.
International research conducted by McKinsey4 also shows a positive relationship between corporate performance and gender diversity. Indeed, gender mix would increase the likelihood of superior financial returns by 15 percent, and, if introduced in senior management, would result in improved performance. The introduction of greater diversity in the composition of boards, or in the corporate organization more generally, would also imply a lower average age, a higher level of education, and coming from more diverse educational and professional backgrounds.
Last but not least, on a social level, incentivizing access to paternity leave would mean fostering fathers’ involvement in family life, reducing the burden of caregiving on the mother and strengthening parental relationships. This would thus lay the groundwork for a more equitable distribution of parental responsibilities, not to mention that greater sharing of domestic activities would be a significant driver for working women in their choice of career investment.
The need for change, which is no longer only useful but imperative, concerns culture first and foremost. The historical moment would appear propitious, as numerous sociological studies point out that the younger generations carry a vision of work and life, of expectations, motivations and aspirations potentially capable of evolving the culture of the productive system in which they are inserted, if it proves willing to change.
Companies must play their role.
How?
- Giving fathers the same benefits given to new mothers
- Creating a culture that encourages paternity leave
- Transparently clarifying the career impacts of paternity leave
- Supporting reintegration after discharge
- Establishing family-friendly policies to support working fathers.
