every year World Economic Forum Post a report on global gender gap index, A composite index that measures gender gaps. It is measured for 146 countries and the index takes into account economic and political participation, health and education level.
Last year’s report indicated that Italy ranked 63rd out of 146, which is immovable compared to the situation recorded in 2021. On the other hand, Europe maintains the second highest level compared to the rest of the world, with Iceland, Finland and Norway ranked first. high within the European region. Again according to the report, Europe will still need 60 years to close the gap while, given the current pace of progress, it will take 132 years to reach full parity.
Although there is a slight improvement compared to 2021, statistical analyzes and news still tell us the story of the present in which women are still subject to punishment, discrimination and harm due to the fact of belonging to the female gender only or rather not belonging to the masculine gender; But there are also stories of women who have held senior positions in sectors I have chosen that, until then, may have been mainly held only by men. These stories, even if they are still a minority, must find the right space and the right lighting in an era when we really want to work collectively to achieve gender balance and confront the stereotypes that still too often inhibit individual careers and social growth.
In Rome, until September 10, it is possible to visit the photographic exhibition of Gerald Brunoa world-famous photographer who has been a longtime civil rights activist, titled “in the picture. women of art and science Hosted by Carlo Bellotti Orangeri at the Villa Borghese Museum. A photographic journey dedicated to the faces and careers of Italian women who have won pioneering roles in science and cultural heritage. Forty people, forty women, and forty stories to remember the value of grit, strength, and competence in a reality still punctuated by the dynamics and languages that often overwhelm these values. Photography, in its universal language, displays the invaluable vivid autobiographical stories of their inspiring power.
The exhibition presents two distinct exhibition tracks, one dedicated to the stories of women at the head of our country’s essential cultural institutions and the other dedicated to some of Italy’s most important scholars.
Data on the gender gap in the cultural sector shows that women engaged in art and culture in Europe generally have less access to creative and productive resources, are paid less than men, and are underrepresented in management, decision-making and in the marketplace. ‘art. The biographies of the directors of Italian museums recounted and photographed in the exhibition create a new narrative, providing a tangible alternative to a future that may not be limited to a few. On the other hand, female scientists and their stories promote empowerment and combat gender stereotypes in scientific practice. As mentioned before Massachusetts Institute of Technology Women continue to be underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. In 2023, the gender gap in STEM fields remains significant, with women globally representing only 28% of the STEM workforce. Looking at places around the world where we might hope to find better news, the stats open up other important implications: we’re talking about 24% in the US, 17% in the European Union, 16% in Japan and 14% in India.
In these days when we commemorate the death of one of the greatest Italian thinkers, writer and activist Michela Murgia, we remember one of her important books: Shut up, a read that tells the words we no longer want to hear, the ones that make women disappear from public spaces, from professions, from debates and from the news. A book that sheds light on the painful link that exists between the injustice we live and the words we hear, born with ambition: that in ten years a girl or a boy, finding him in a booth, can think with a smile that fortunately no one says those sentences anymore.
And to ensure that women in high office, in any sector, remain so scarce as to be exhibited in a museum, there is a necessary movement that we must begin to make even outside the lens of the great photographer: Recognize skills and make them visible, regardless of gender.
The exhibition, promoted by Roma Capitale, Ministry of Culture, Capitoline Superintendency
ai Beni Culturali, sponsored and created by the Bracco Foundation in collaboration with Arthemisia. Zetema Progetto Cultura Museum Services.
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