Gender pay differentials examined Download article in original language Two studies published in March 2001 go some way towards filling the gap in data on pay differentials between women and men in Italy. Gender pay differentials are even wider in the South of Italy. Italy's national statistical system is not geared to studying the gender dimension of social and employment issues, and it is thus very difficult to find useful data in this area. The gender pay differential is even greater in some geographical areas.
Southern women are more discriminated against than northern women.
There is also an urban element in the pay differential. Interestingly, for secretarial staff the gender wage differential is to women's advantage. Some of the context for Italy's current gender pay differentials is provided by a sociological study carried out by Iter , a research centre, published in March 2001. Iter finds that gender pay differential diminished until the 1980s, when they settled at their present levels. The Iter researchers find that women generally have little perception of wage discrimination at the workplace and that the extent of this perception is strictly linked to the role and to the meaning which they attach to their jobs.