The latest Global Gender Gap report published by the World Economic Forum highlights a sad statistic: the global gender gap in 2023 was 68,4%, in 2024 68,5%, a growth at a glacial pace that does not bode well for the achievement of the objectives set for 2030, although there are decidedly positive examples, such as Iceland, which, with its 396 inhabitants, achieves a fantastic record with 93,5%. On the other hand, we must note that Italy is still below par, 69,2%, despite having recorded one of the most significant progresses since 2010, with an increase of 15,9 percentage points. With regard to education and training, only a third choose scientific subjects: the ratio of ICT specialists is 1 woman in 6. And women earn almost 20% less than men. It will take 134 years to achieve full equality, underlines the World Economic Forum report.

Gender Inequalities in India

Expanding our gaze beyond Europe's borders and focusing on one of the countries that has seen significant economic growth in recent years, but at the same time faces growing social inequalities, a complex picture emerges. India, in fact, ranks 129th out of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index, and despite some apparent progress in some areas, gender inequality remains a central issue. The Global Gender Gap Index is a synthetic measure that collects information from four main areas: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. Each area is composed of several specific indicators. The index's score ranges from 0 to 1, where 1 represents total gender equality. However, it is important to underline that this index focuses on gender differences, highlighting the relative position of women compared to men, rather than an absolute assessment of their conditions.

In India, nearly 90% of the workforce is employed in the informal sector, where women, in particular, face enormous hardship. This situation is fueled by a profound imbalance in the power relations that characterize the world of work. The asymmetry of power between employers and workers has a direct impact on women's access to decent working conditions and their ability to maintain them, creating an invisible but solid barrier that hinders any kind of social and economic progression. Women in the informal sector are, in fact, among the most vulnerable: they often do not have access to formal contracts, guaranteed labor rights or legal protections. Not only are they excluded from the benefits of welfare policies, but they also lack bargaining power, which exposes them to forms of daily exploitation, abuse and discrimination. This scenario perpetuates a cycle of poverty, inequality and marginalization that, as time goes by, becomes increasingly difficult to break. The world of textiles, for example, explored on many occasions by Mani Tese, has historically seen a high female participation, and although in different contexts, they continue to be the main protagonists of a market deeply marked by dynamics of exploitation and inequality.