Young women want to be able to choose at work and in the family

Work and family

Rosy Cosco, 35 years old, with a degree in statistics, also resigned last year and is now a freelancer and is involved in coaching. Rosy is the vice president of Young Women Network, an association founded in 2012 and which today brings together over 700 young women between 25 and 40 years old, a sort of orientation compass in the world of work, with an awareness of gender equity. The president is Veronica Buonocore, 33 years old, with a law degree, she worked as a lawyer until 2021, now she is in the company in the consultancy sector. Both say that the great limitation for women is still having to choose between work and family.

«Motherhood is still experienced as an obstacle. One girl explained to us that she calculated that she wanted to become a mother once she reached the role of manager. It’s terrible but it’s a common thought, the fear is that after so many sacrifices many doors may close» they explain, bringing the experiences of their partners and the employees of the companies who decide to turn to them.

Children, a choice

So the big question is: do young women today want to have children? The answer for the vast majority is «Yes, but under certain conditions». Paolina would like children in the future but the first thing to achieve is economic and personal independence. For Veronica the cost of living greatly affects motherhoodaccording to her the new generations are not having children not for lack of desire, it is a lie, but for the fear of a blocked career, the lack of economic means, the inadequacy of welfare policies and a parenting that is still not widely shared.

And then, it is also right to choose not to become a mother, adds Rosy, who is 35 years old, is a freelancer and at the moment she is choosing not to be a mother. Also because after the first child the awareness of a whole other series of problems takes over: the difficult entry into the nursery schools, which in any case cost too much, the lack of services and so on. The solution would be a more family-friendly society, because having children is and must be a choice… and in such an uncertain world it is an increasingly difficult choice, explains Letizia Mencarini, professor of Demography at Bocconi University.

«The word uncertainty is a key word at the moment, especially for the under 35s. This is reflected in definitive choices such as having children, a choice that is increasingly pondered by Italians, this is the big difference in recent generations. We have seen it in the sharp contraction of conceptions as a reaction to the pandemic. Having children is not a coincidence but is planned with great attention» comments Mencarini.