Gender equality certification: virtues and vices
The certification of gender equality? It is achieved both at school and at work and not by paying for a certificate. The speech by Alessandra Servidori, professor of labor policies
When the measure was approved not far away in 2022, the competence and experience gained in the ministerial and corporate spheres on active equal opportunity policies led me to remember several times – also on these pages – that the issue of the so-called "pink sticker" had already two ministerial projects sank: one in 2006 and the other in 2014 respectively released by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies and the Equal Opportunities Department of the PdC because they represented a gigantic flop mainly due to the fact that they were involved even before the enactment of the scheme only a few large companies who "dictated with obviously particular interest the criteria for the practices to be adopted" who would then grant privileges to companies deemed certified.
Now we are back to talking about this third attempt, which has been financed and operational several times in mission 5 of the Pnrr as a national system that accompanies and incentivises companies to reduce the gender gap in companies with "noble objectives" of reducing wage inequality, defending maternity protection etc. etc. etc.
A number of agencies have moved for the certification and no less that is also owned for a considerable percentage by a deputy of the Democratic Party , very active in general on the equal opportunities she had and has focused a lot on this curious certification which, on closer inspection, does not is bringing great results to female employment as demonstrated by the data both on resignations from work in the current year and on wage differentials which sensationally remain very high.
There are many problems and, to name one, the so-called minimum and compliant parameters which must be ascertained only by accredited and compliant bodies UNI/PdR 125:2022 with a minimum score equal to only 60% with which the company then has advantages and benefits with exemption from contributions and a bonus score in participation in European, national and regional tenders and funds.
I remember that even the equality certification system has also been strengthened in art. 46 of the Equal Opportunities Code, which establishes the certification provided for in the Pnrr.
Since then, a massive business of especially private training has been unleashed by virtue of a complex management system in charge of companies because the requirements identified by the private body Uni/Pdr125 must be considered legally and concretely binding in the organization of the company that pays the certification, no less than 12,000 euros depending on the size, "to have the expected benefits".
Furthermore, the training issue has been strengthened at ministerial level with the 2022 and 2023 budget laws, increasing the allocation of the Fund to support equal pay and resources that can be used specifically for the acquisition of certification by companies and a further Fund for all training activities that will prove (???) preparatory to obtaining this certification.
Therefore, the question of owning shares in a company that sells consultancy on how to achieve gender equality certification is also political since the tendency to outsource the management of the organization and of a culture outside the common workplace has become rooted and generalised. of an enterprise that must be shared and of the relationships that are created in a participatory context.
Because the equality and respect between people which now reappears in the scholastic context with inconsistent funding and outsourcing the subject to "experts" means instead investing in personal improvement which is a motivational factor that people tend to consider intrinsically connected first to their own scholastic career and formative in the educational trajectory, and professional then in work. Emotional intelligence, objection management, collaboration are all transversal skills that facilitate both relationships between young people and relationships at work and stimulate productivity and encourage changes, solidarity and respect.
Culture cannot be bought.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/certificazione-parita-di-genere-virtu-e-vizi/ on Tue, 12 Dec 2023 12:00:10 +0000.