Inarcassa: the number of women is on the rise

There are 173,000 members of Inarcassa, the pension scheme of engineers (who account for 47 per cent of members) and architects (53%). The average income stands at 50,500 euros and the average turnover at 63,600 euros. Total assets amount to €17.7 billion, social security contributions stand at €2 billion, and the economic surplus is €1.4 billion. This is the picture painted by the 2025 Social Report published on 3 July.

25 per cent of members are under 40, although the average age is 51, which is rather high (as is the case with almost all pension funds for the professions). The Fund’s focus on younger members has grown over time, welfare measures aimed at the under-35s – ranging from honour loans to subsidised loans, right through to initiatives supporting parenthood – have, in fact, seen a significant increase, helping to strengthen access to and continuity of professional practice. In addition to these, over 165,000 active health insurance policies and 30,802 Inarcassa Cards have supported professionals’ cash flow during a period of ongoing economic uncertainty.

The Report includes a specific section dedicated togender equality and the representation of women within the Fund, which currently stands at 49,774 female members, representing 29 per cent of the total (compared with 14 per cent in 1995). More specifically, women account for 15 per cent of engineers (compared with 3 per cent thirty years ago), whilst they make up 41 per cent of architects (24 per cent in 1995). The growth in the proportion of women is particularly evident among those under 35, where women account for over half of new architects and a third of new engineers, confirming a structural trend that is reshaping the composition of the profession.

Over the last thirty years, the number of female members has increased fivefold, rising from fewer than 10,000 in 1995 to nearly 50,000 today. Despite this, significant income disparities persist: women’s earnings range from 75 per cent of men’s among female architects under 35 to 60 per cent in older age groups, whilst among female engineers the gap fluctuates between 68 per cent and 60 per cent. This disparity is reflected in pension entitlements, with the average pension for women standing at 62 per cent of that for men. In 2025, Inarcassa approved its Gender Equality Policy, establishing a dedicated Steering Committee and obtaining UNI/PdR 125:2022 certification.

In 2025, Inarcassa paid out 51,300 pensions totalling one billion euros, and the pension fund’s balance was in surplus by 833 million.