Employment

Invitalia: the fight against violence also passes through female entrepreneurship and economic autonomy

Of the 4,200 new businesses, 40% are formed by female entrepreneurs. To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Agency illuminated the façade of its Rome headquarters in orange

by Redaction Rome

25 November 2024

Semenzato: “Contro la violenza di genere serve un patto fra famiglia, scuola e società civile”

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Key points

The Giulia Cecchettin Memorial Scholarships
The women's entrepreneurship programme
Invitalia has zeroed the gender pay gap

2' min read

Female entrepreneurship and economic autonomy as a counter to gender-based violence. In fact, it is crucial to promote women's employment, equal pay, women's representation in high value chains, the presence of women in Stem areas and, above all, the development of female entrepreneurship, also identified as an important tool for the creation of personal value, autonomy and economic independence. In 2023 alone, Invitalia supported 4,200 new enterprises, about 40 per cent of which were formed by female entrepreneurs.

Scholarships in memory of Giulia Cecchettin

The initiatives include 10 degree prizes and five scholarships in memory of Giulia Cecchettin, for female biomedical engineering students at the University of Padua. An initiative to support young women in choosing courses of study in scientific and technological subjects, to increase their participation in the world of work in these fields and reduce the gap in terms of pay and career. On 24 and 25 November, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Invitalia turned orange, illuminating the façade of its headquarters in Via Calabria in Rome, with the colour symbolising the fight against gender-based violence.

The Women's Entrepreneurship Programme

In particular, through the 'Imprenditoria Femminile' programme, promoted by Mimit and managed by Invitalia, the Agency contributes to spreading the enterprise culture and strengthening the skills and presence of women in the most innovative sectors. Among the activities related to the "Imprenditoria Femminile" programme:

- the Cod(H)er project, in partnership with Generation Italy, which aims to train and accompany to work 50 young women, Neet, unemployed or unemployable between the ages of 18 and 29, in the regions of Southern Italy, preparing them for the digital and technological professions most in demand by companies. Through online training courses, the project offers the participants the opportunity to start their professional career in the digital sector as Data Engineers and Java Developers;

- the Life acceleration path, in partnership with the Emblema Foundation, dedicated to innovative start-ups that develop or want to develop high-tech solutions, with a team of at least 50 per cent women of any age and nationality;

Invitalia cleared the gender pay gap

Invitalia - which reset the gender pay gap to zero in 2024, two years ahead of the Strategic Sustainability Plan - just recently received an award from the University of Pavia, taking first place in the Diversity&Inclusion category, as part of the Sustainability Report Award.