“November 25th shouldn’t exist.
In the 21st century the practice – supported by a certain culture – of physically or psychologically abusing someone just because they are weaker should be completely removed from the acceptable habits of an evolved and civilized society. Instead, every year, we are here to remind ourselves that civilization has not evolved enough and that violence against women is an often underestimated reality. It is often subtly expressed within the family context so that the woman feels responsible for the behavior of the perpetrator and does not report it, or thinks that her reports are not taken seriously.
It is not just a question of physical violence, which leaves external traces and which tragically fills the front pages of newspapers every day, but also, and above all, of psychological and economic violence. Often interconnected and more difficult to identify.
There is not much data available to measure this phenomenon. Istat regularly publishes data relating to telephone calls to the anti-violence number by women and also detects their motivations. From 2019 to 2021, phone calls increased by 88% from about 8600 to 16300. The majority, over 44%, concerns physical violence, 33% psychological violence and only 1% economic violence. A fact that makes you think because, on the one hand, not even women who are victims of economic violence feel they have to call the anti-violence number (it’s not worth it), on the other, they are ashamed to admit that they are economically dependent on someone else even for small expenses, such as a pair of socks.
Economic violence translates, in practice, into a series of control and monitoring attitudes that limit freedom and steal economic resources. For example, one does not want his partner to work, systematically sabotages her work or volunteering commitments, obsessively controls expenses or disposes of the woman’s and family’s money, without permission and without reporting. Situations far more common than women have the courage to admit.
Another source of information on this phenomenon is the D.i.Re report based on data collected in anti-violence centres. From an economic point of view, 33% of women who turn to them for help have no income and less than 40% have a secure income. The lack of money generates a relationship of subordination which leads the victims to continue a harassing relationship. The psychological violence that is often generated then leads to physical violence. Among those who turn to help centres, 77% of cases suffered psychological violence, 60% physical violence and 33% economic violence. Percentages that could be even higher, considering that only 27% of women file a complaint.
One of the factors facilitating economic violence is low participation in the labor market. The female inactivity rate in Italy has been around 45% for years and there are about 18 percentage points of employment difference compared to males. The situation is worse for young southern women with children, of whom only 22% work. In Italy, women are 51% of the population and only 42% of the employed.
The lack of work and autonomy exposes women to the risk of being victims of violence. A lot can change at the legislative level to facilitate women’s access to the labor market but much depends on cultural aspects. Among these, the mechanisms that push, even graduates, to stay at home and take care of the house, children and relatives. There is recent empirical work which shows that a greater involvement of men in care work has positive consequences on female employment and even on the fertility rate.
The surveys conducted by the Museum of Saving on the relationship between women and money, over the last 5 years, highlight the existence of problems that start from the fact that as many as 60% of women voluntarily delegate financial management to their partner and the the remaining 40% manages, alone, only the daily expenses. The symmetrical distribution of tasks at home shows that 80% of women take care of household chores alone, while 70% of men take care exclusively of tasks outside the home. The serious thing is that, in 70% of cases, both sexes do not consider this division of tasks as problematic.
Furthermore, while men declare themselves interested in deepening their economic knowledge, women, for the most part, declare themselves substantially uninterested in learning more. It’s a shame, because the most effective weapon against economic violence is awareness, also helped by the spread of financial education. It is essential to be aware of one’s rights, one’s ability to manage money and how much economic independence is an essential element. This is why it is necessary to act not only at a legislative level but also, and above all, at an educational level to increase those skills useful for finding a job and being free to choose”.
Speech by Giovanna Paladino, Director and Curator of the Museum of Saving, taken from the brochure RESPECT FOR WOMEN ALL YEAR, created on the occasion of 25 November 2022, World Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
The Museum of Saving offers numerous financial education programs for women throughout the year. Particular attention is given to women in difficulty.
Below are available, for those who wish to review or deepen them, awareness-raising and training initiatives aimed at the female public:
NO MORE VICTIMS: how to recognize the different forms of gender-based violence
From 4 November 2022, in collaboration with the association Stati Generalidelle Donne and CUG Inps, the Museum of Saving offers the cycle of four online appointments “NON MORE VICTIMS – learning to recognize the different forms of gender-based violence” to reflect on the theme of gender-based violence, with a focus on economic violence.
CLICK HERE for registrations.
I PROMISE TO TAKE CARE OF MYSELF
With the call to action “I promise to take care of myself” we have collected the testimony of many women, young and old, established professionals in various areas, who by their presence and story have told how important it was to gain economic independence.
The initiative was followed by a webinar which clarified the importance of financial education to ensure economic independence and provided some basic concepts for effectively managing the family budget.
- CLICK HERE for the registration of the event I PROMISE TO TAKE CARE OF ME (24/06/2020)
- Download the booklet I PROMISE TO ALWAYS PLAN with all the information received and discussed during the webinar.
WOMEN AND MONEY CARE
The main topics of the webinar “Women and money care” were the tools and ways in which women can actively take care of their finances, with a focus on social security aspects. Among the topics covered: support for women’s income, taking care of money and why it is important to deal with it, knowledge of the pension system and the assessment of the impact of public policies on gender.
- CLICK HERE to see the recording of the WOMEN AND MONEY CARE event (11/24/2020)
AGAINST STEREOTYPES. WHEN PRINCESSES MEET THE ECONOMY!
Particular attention was also paid to the younger generations with the online meeting on 8 March 2021 “Against stereotypes. When princesses meet the economy!”.
A lesson in economic citizenship dedicated to girls and boys in primary and middle schools, to learn that there are no differences between male and female abilities, especially when it comes to autonomy, sustainability and the future. During the event, the video-laboratory “Legonomy – Gender differences explained with bricks” was presented, promoted by the Museum of Saving and Feduf and conducted by Luciano Canova, economist, academic professor and Lego Serious Play trainer.
- CLICK HERE to watch the video LEGOnomia – Gender differences explained with bricks
NOT JUST HAIR. Self care and money care
Also on the occasion of 8 March, in collaboration with FEDUF, we organized a Digital live talk to discuss money management and women’s economic independence, starting from the ideas offered by the Museum’s new pamphlet dedicated to the importance of taking care of yourself and of your own money.
- CLICK HERE to register for the NOT ONLY HAIR event. SELF-CARE AND MONEY CARE (08/03/2021)
- Download the brochure NOT ONLY HAIR
For information, you can write to the email address info@museodelrisparmio.it