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Dream Gap

You can do it if you can dream it.


Do you know what the DREAM Gap is?

One of the gaps in my CV is related to the maternity period. As a freelancer, I didn't have any kind of assistance or maternity leave. After having my first daughter, I realized it would have been more convenient for me to stay at home without any income rather than having incomes that were too low. Economically, in the short term, it was better, but in the long term, it meant giving up on future opportunities.

Many of us have left or paused our careers because: raising children was a priority, it was economically more convenient, even at the expense of our professional growth, it was something that, being mothers (sic!), we were supposed to do.

The gaps tell a multitude of stories and stereotypes.

The #gendergap tells the story of many women who, despite their efforts, often remain out of the game.


But Why?

Is there a lack of preparation? No. According to ISTAT, the percentage of women with university degrees exceeds that of men, while according to Almalaurea, female students achieve better results throughout their educational journey.

(In STEM fields, the percentage of enrolled women tends to be much lower).


However, LinkedIn data indicates that the proportion of women in senior leadership positions - where "senior leadership" is defined as Director, Vice President (VP), or C-suite - was 32.2% in 2023, nearly 10 percentage points lower than the overall representation of women in the workforce in the same year (41.9%).

If there are many educated and experienced women, and therefore potentially "deserving" of senior roles, why are there so few?


Are there missing legal tools? Not entirely.

In Italy, since 2011, there have been "gender quotas," measures adopted in corporate boards or institutional settings aimed at introducing a certain percentage of individuals of a given gender. The purpose of quotas is to address a gender imbalance and promote parity that unfortunately does not yet exist.

There is a tool that seeks to restore equality in the selection of candidates.

Since May 2023, the European Parliament has enacted the "Directive on Pay Transparency in the EU," which should ensure fairer professional evaluation systems and pay equity (equal pay for equal work). We will see the effects of this legislation in the coming years.


Why do women struggle to occupy decision-making roles?

According to research from Harvard Business School, one of the reasons is that, with equal career and education backgrounds, when faced with the same job offer, women tend not to respond to that advertisement unless they meet 100% of the requirements listed in the offer. Men apply even if they meet only 60% of the requirements.


In other words, we don't even get to the starting line; we stop ourselves before that.

Not only do we need to have the qualifications to be judged worthy, but we also need to feel deserving of that position. The issue is complex because there are many deeply ingrained stereotypes and biases within each of us.


the DREAM GAP

If at 7 years old, amid fairy tales, internet images, and role models, the message we receive is "mom is in the kitchen washing dishes" while "dad is building a spaceship in the garage," the idea that every girl and every boy will develop is that this is what they can aspire to.

"Dream" means dream. At 7 years old, each of us should be free to dream whatever we want. Children's dreams are fueled by imagination, the magical world, and what surrounds them.


How important is it for there to be representations of what is possible around them?

According to the numbers, women at the top, or in those roles generally associated with men, remain extraordinary role models. The representations are there, but they are too few. The risk is that they may be perceived as exceptions to the rule, solitary, with superpowers. They are like unicorns.

During evening moments with my daughter, we often talk about extraordinary women and their stories. "Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls" by Francesca Cavallo and Elena Favilli, volumes I and II, are two books we have loved because they offer many examples of women who have broken barriers and stereotypes.

In an interview, one of the authors says: "Our experience as entrepreneurs made us reflect on the fact that - unlike our male colleagues - we had grown up surrounded by very few models of strong women who had taken control of their own destiny and achieved something extraordinary."

And she continues: "Rebel are the girls who do not resign themselves to a limited number of options, who continue to search until they find what truly interests them. [...] Rebel are the women who do not let others define them but fight for the right to choose their own destiny. Being rebellious is, for many women everywhere in the world, a matter of survival." In some way, they represent the exception and not the rule.


The Mercedes advertisement (link above), released on International Women's Day, reinforces this concept: we should aspire to be the norm, not the exception. As a society, it is crucial to develop this awareness, shared between women and men, where ambition for certain positions is not determined by biology but by merit, skills, and intelligence.


Why should we all aspire to this ordinariness?

According to the WEF: "Increasing women's economic participation and achieving gender parity in leadership, both in the private and public sectors, are two key levers for addressing the broader gender gaps in families, societies, and economies" [...] A robust gender strategy is increasingly considered essential for attracting top talent and ensuring long-term economic performance, resilience, and survival."


I have two children: a daughter and a son. Managing to silence the clichés and everything I've been told throughout my life to let her be free is a daily and challenging exercise.

When my daughter asks me, "Do you think I can become and do this and that?" my answer is positive, but every time I pause and wonder: what impact will this have on her dreams and her future? The other is still young, but I suspect that certain doubts won't even occur to him.


 



 
 
 

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