We dedicate the month of October to the pink quota. On the occasion of the International Day of Young Girls held last Tuesday, October 11, aimed at reminding us of the importance of gender equality and ensuring equal opportunities, we will highlight some of the progress made after many years of struggle and the ongoing challenges aimed at encouraging and supporting the future of young girls.
It is interesting how the role of women in the work environment has radically changed. We can see this through the testimonies of previous generations both in person and on film that tell us how the role of women was initially focused in the family context and not in the work context.
It is, however, the same film collections of certain historical periods that, in some cases, show us the woman yearning for independence and work-a share, albeit a smaller one, in the reality of the 1970s and 1980s that nonetheless contributed to women’s emancipation.
In fact, the turning points are contextualized, and more importantly, with the globalization that took place in the late 1990s, a period of transition in which many women were entering the workforce and had more opportunities to continue their studies in higher education.
It is from that period that the progression of women’s role in the work begins, although still not fully valued.
Entrepreneurial figures
The advent of technology, increased opportunities for studies, the development of new professions, and advances in culture have contributed to women’s independence and success in many work fields (even those defined as “masculine”).
Achievements also, and above all, thanks to the perseverance, sacrifices, tenacity and awareness of their own abilities of these women who have thus managed to obtain, today, key roles within international companies or to be founders of highly quoted companies.
Some examples
As an example, we can think of Melanie Parkins who-despite being turned down by more than 100 investors-in 2012 managed to launch Canva, an online design tool that allows people to create graphic designs easily and intuitively, used by more than 55 million people in 190 countries. Or Samantha Cristoforetti, the first Italian and European woman to become commander of the International Space Station. Other examples include Google’s Italian CEO Melissa Peretti, Claudia Parzani appointed in 2017 as president of Allianz Italia, and at the end of March 2022 the president of Borsa Italiana. Serena Melani, the first Italian woman commander of a large ship or Patrizia Casali, a 29-year-old young woman with a degree in biomedical engineering from the Politecnico, who created the world’s first adaptive sole that was awarded as one of the best innovations among wearable technologies in the world.
Despite these great successes, currently the road to women’s empowerment is still uphill. In fact, last April 2022, Equal Employment Opportunity Ministers from many European countries met to define the paths to be taken to create a better work-life balance for women to improve gender equality and prevent discrimination by ensuring that family responsibilities are shared. A step toward finally achieving the goals of the Council of Europe’s Gender Equality Strategy .
Promoest and the pink quota
Promoest also boasts of examples of women who have succeeded in the work environment despite difficulties in the social sphere. In fact, the group is headed by managing director Barbara Colonello, a woman who, after her university studies in languages in Genoa, immediately joined the agency, combining family life and work, with sacrifice and satisfaction.
Independence that is also reflected in her team, composed mostly of young women with a great desire to learn, do and be as autonomous as possible. Promoest is indeed active in supporting gender equality in all its divisions and their ambition.
