Italy continues to fall well behind many of its key global peers on the share of women in paid work, a lag that analysts say undermines both economic growth prospects and demographic stability. The Rita Levi-Montalcini SVIMEZ - W20 Observatory placed Italy 11th among G20 countries in its latest equality ranking, behind European economies such as Britain, Germany and France, and also trailing nations including Mexico, Brazil and South Africa.
Female employment in Italy stood at 53.2% in 2024, creating a 17.8 percentage point gap relative to male employment. By contrast, employment rates in France, Germany and Britain exceed 66.6%, with male-female gaps below 6.7 percentage points. "The key indicator is the female employment rate, and unfortunately Italy is in a critical situation," said Linda Laura Sabbadini, an Italian statistician who has chaired Women 20, the G20’s gender-equality group.
The report highlights pronounced regional imbalances within Italy. In five southern regions - Basilicata, Puglia, Sicily, Calabria and Campania - women's inactivity rates surpass employment levels even after excluding women not working for study reasons. That imbalance underscores a persistent north-south divide in labour market outcomes.
Family responsibilities are a major factor in women's non-participation. For women aged 25 to 34, family reasons accounted for 38.4% of inactivity in southern Italy and 49.3% in the centre-north in 2024. Comparable figures for men were 2.5% in the south and 4.1% in the centre-north. These patterns exist despite higher education attainment among younger women; women in that age band are more likely than men to hold university degrees.
When women are in work they are disproportionately concentrated in precarious roles. Involuntary part-time employment affects 63.6% of female workers in the south and 40.7% in the centre-north, compared with an EU average of 20.9%. The report points to tourism and hospitality as main sectors where part-time and involuntary arrangements are common.
Wage disparities persist across regions and contract types. Among permanent workers, men in the centre-north earned on average 120 euros per day in 2024 compared with 88 euros for women. In southern regions the figures were around 90 euros for men and 65 euros for women.
Policy remains contested. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni - Italy’s first female premier - has pledged to raise female employment to support growth and address demographic decline, but progress on structural reforms has been limited. The issue recently returned to the political agenda after Meloni’s coalition rejected an opposition proposal last month to introduce fully equal, non-transferable and paid parental leave for mothers and fathers, citing budget constraints.
Economic authorities have flagged the macroeconomic stakes. Italy’s public debt stands at 3.1 trillion euros, and the Bank of Italy has emphasised the importance of greater female labour-market participation to underpin long-term growth and debt sustainability. "The Bank of Italy estimates closing that gap would boost both the workforce and gross domestic product by around 10%," said Paola Ansuini, a central director at the bank, when presenting the research at Rome's MAXXI museum. ($1 = 0.8668 euros)
Leaders of regional development research have also stressed the link between labour-market reform and demographic trends. "The labour market is the only lever that can fundamentally alter the country’s demographic outlook," said Luca Bianchi, president of SVIMEZ, a research association focused on economic development in southern Italy.
Summary of findings
- Italy’s female employment rate was 53.2% in 2024, with a 17.8 percentage point gap versus men.
- Italy ranks 11th among G20 countries in the Rita Levi-Montalcini SVIMEZ - W20 Observatory study.
- Women face high inactivity and involuntary part-time work in the south; pay gaps are pronounced across regions.
Sectors and markets affected
- Public finance - higher female participation is linked to potential GDP gains and implications for debt sustainability.
- Labour-intensive sectors such as tourism and hospitality - high rates of involuntary part-time employment among women.
- Banking and macroeconomic forecasts - central bank analysis incorporates female labour-force trends into growth and debt projections.