(Finance) – In terms of inequalities in Italy, there are significant differences between regions, between men and women, between population groups with different educational qualifications and different age groups. “It is necessary to address these critical issues with strategies aimed at reducing barriers to access to work, guaranteeing job continuity and advancement prospects and improving the opportunities for achievement of the new generations”. This is what emerges from publication “Wellbeing and inequalities in Italy” released on the occasion of the seventh edition of Forum on Well-Being organized by OECD in Rome in collaboration with ISTAT and MEF. The report, starting from project on fair and sustainable well-being (Bes), offers a look at the inequalities between men and women, between generations, between territories and between population groups with different educational qualifications, with an approach that also takes into account the combination of several characteristics, to identify the most disadvantaged groups in terms of well-being in various areas of life.
The Northern regions – highlights the report – they more often present well-being indicators with better values than the national average, while the Noon still presents situations of marked disadvantage, especially in the domains of work and social relations.
From the point of view of gender inequalities, notable progress has been made in the educational and cultural fields for women women: one in three young women in the 25-34 age group has a degree compared to one in four men, furthermore female educational paths stand out for better results, with fewer dropouts and higher skills. Despite this, women continue to be penalized in the job markethighlighting a persistent gap in employment rates (56.5% compared to 76% of men), in the presence in political representation positions at the top of institutions and in economic conditions. However, the greater female investment in education constitutes a factor that could potentially mitigate this disparity in the future, especially if accompanied by a parallel expansion of opportunities and tools to support life balance.
The level of education one is confirmed crucial determinant for well-being, in fact, most of the indicators present a strong gradient by educational qualification, underlining the growing positive association with well-being measures as the level of education increases. The differences are particularly marked for the cultural participation (64.6% among graduates aged at least 25 compared to 12.5% among people with at most a lower secondary school qualification) and the fcontinuous formation (25.2% among people aged at least 25 with a high level of education compared to 3.2% for people with a low level of education), with a strong impact of the level of education also held on the economic conditions and possibilities of employment. Therefore, educational policies aimed at improving access to higher and university education, particularly in disadvantaged areas and for the most vulnerable population groups, can constitute a factor in increasing the equity of well-being.
The well-being indicators present a strong gradient by agein some cases to the advantage of younger people, for example 93.9% of young people aged 25-34 regularly use the internet, compared to 57% of those aged over 55. For the lifestylesyoung people are less sedentary than the over 55s (26.8% versus 45.8%) but the habit of smoking is more widespread (26.9% versus 14.4% of the over 55s). Finally, the intergenerational inequalities place young adults in a position of economic vulnerability, which could have long-term repercussions, not only at an individual level but also for social cohesion and the development of the country.
To highlight the population groups in more critical conditions, however, the analysis focuses on the intersection between multiple factors, shedding light on the disparities that affect specific subgroups of the populationprofoundly impacting the quality of life of the people involved. For example, it emerges as the cultural participation outside the home among women with tertiary qualifications residing in the North is more than eight times higher than that of women with at most a lower secondary qualification in the South. Another example of the multidimensionality of inequality factors is that deriving from risk of poverty which among 25-34 year olds residing in the South with a low educational qualification is 25 times higher than that among residents in the North with a high educational qualification (56.7% versus 2.2%).