Achieving a balance between work and family life. The diplomatic world has been considering this question thanks to a study conducted by Paola Cogliandro, which will be presented tomorrow, Saturday 12 December 2015, at the Farnesina. The study, “Women in Italian diplomacy, perceived and experienced burdens in a male dominated organisation”, analysed the issue of gender in Italian diplomacy. Cogliandro asked a sample of female diplomats what it means to work in an environment where nearly 80% of the workforce is male. By analysing their replies, further measures can be identified to achieve a better gender balance at the Farnesina.
Reconciling work and family life
Even though laws and administrative practices have been applied to ensure gender equality at the formal level, this goal is in fact still far from being achieved. In Italy and abroad, in the public sector and the private sector, women continue to be under-represented in positions of administrative and political authority.
Paola Cogliandro’s research was conducted as part of a Master’s in International Management of Human Resources at the University of Kingston’s Kingston Business School in London.
Tomorrow’s presentation is entitled “Reconciling work and family life: research by Paola Cogliandro”. Participants will include the deputy Secretary General of the Farnesina, Antonio Bernardini; the chair of Women in Diplomacy (Italian initials DID), Laura Mirachian; the Head of the Department for Equal Opportunities, Giovanna Martelli; the Deputy Director General of the Bank of Italy, Valeria Sannucci; and Sabrina Ugolini, from the Directorate General for Human Resources, Budget and Innovation.
