Figures for 2025

Women in the workplace: in Milan, too, 76 per cent of resignations by new parents are by women

Figures from the Labour Inspectorate: the lack of welfare provision and difficulties in balancing work and family life are major factors

by Sara Monaci

21 July 2026

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2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

And ultimately, when it comes to women’s rights and employment, Milan is not all that different from the rest of Italia. In the country’s economic capital and its surrounding areas, 76% of voluntary resignations by new parents are by women, according to Lombardy data on voluntary resignations by new parents in 2025, validated by the Regional Labour Inspectorate.

But there is another unexpected figure: ticket validations carried out in the Milan metropolitan area alone account for more than 15 per cent of the total of validations nationwide.

The vast majority of people who give up their jobs to look after their children are women. Out of a national total of 50,770 approved applications, 40,628 (or 68 per cent) relate to women. In the Milan metropolitan area, the percentage is even higher: out of 9,212 approved applications, as many as 7,042 relate to women, or 76 per cent.

The reasons why people leave their jobs vary significantly depending on the gender of the person resigning. An analysis carried out in the Milan metropolitan area highlights this difference: for 40.4 per cent of women, it is the lack of support services that makes the difference, closely followed by work-related difficulties, namely the inability to balance work and personal life (33.7 per cent).

For men, on the other hand, fatherhood appears to be a motivating factor in improving their working situation, as almost 65 per cent of fathers resign because they are moving to another company.

The issue is always that of balancing work and family life, as explained by Barbara Peres, Equality Councillor for the Metropolitan City of Milan. ‘It is clear that the burden of caring for babies is still very unevenly distributed, with a significant burden that has a major impact on women’s lives and careers,’ she states in a note. “What certainly makes a difference is the fact that mothers are entitled to a compulsory five-month period of leave, compared with just 10 days for fathers.”

According to the CGIL, two parallel measures are needed. On the services front, a structural investment in early childhood care in Milan: more places in municipal and affiliated nurseries, affordable fees, increased staffing levels, opening hours consistent with actual working hours, and the strengthening of the supplementary welfare provisions set out in second-level collective bargaining agreements. On the regulatory front, the demand is for paternity leave that is truly on a par with maternity leave, adequately paid, and exceeding the current ten days.

According to Luca Stanzione, General Secretary of CGIL Milan ‘The real obstacle, however, is that this Government, through its latest budget law, has cut more than 4 billion euros from transfers to local authorities, directly undermining the ability of municipalities and metropolitan cities to invest in nurseries and early-years services. ‘As long as paternity leave remains merely symbolic and local services remain inadequate,’ adds Stanzione, ‘the burden of childcare will continue to fall almost entirely on women, with direct consequences for their careers, wages and future pensions.’