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Italian women work harder than men - OECD

Josephine McKenna
Josephine McKenna - [email protected]
Italian women work harder than men - OECD
Women are better educated than men in Italy but are paid less. Photo: tuchodi/Flickr

Italian women are working harder than men and for less money, according to a new report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

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The OECD report entitled ‘How’s Life? 2013’ found that the gender gap has broadened in Italy.

It said fewer women are in paid work - 47 percent compared to 67 percent of men - and they are expected to dedicate more time to taking care of their families and running the household.

According to the report every Italian woman dedicates 36 hours a week to domestic tasks while men contribute only 14 hours of their time – well below the OECD male average of 21 hours per week.

While 59 percent of Italian women have continued education beyond school, compared to 41 percent of men, they have less access to the workforce and men's wages are 12 percent higher than women.

Italian women are less likely to have a paid job or be elected to parliament, the report found.

They are also more likely to feel insecure walking at night and a “sizable share” endured violence from their partners.

The OECD report highlighted the severe impact of the economic crisis on Italian families – revealing a 7 percent decline in household income between 2007 and 2011.

Between 2007 and 2012 the number of Italians who were “satisfied” with their lives fell from 58 percent to 42 percent.

“In general, Italians are less satisfied with their lives than the OECD average, with 69 percent of people saying they have more positive experiences in an average day than negative ones,” the report said.  “This figure is lower than the OECD average of 80 percent.”

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