Gender Inequality and Local Development: Public Health and Social Care Sectors As Drivers for Female Employment in Three Italian Inner Areas.

According to the 2023 Global Gender Gap Index, Italy has dropped 16 places in the global ranking on gender equity, now positioned 79th out of 146 countries monitored since the previous year. Although the report highlights a slight improvement in economic participation, moving from 110th to 104th place, Italy’s female unemployment rate remains among the highest in Europe. Women’s exclusion from the labor market disproportionately affects the southern regions and inner areas of Italy, hampering progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda.

In these regions, alongside the lack of employment opportunities, the absence of public services is a key factor preventing women from contributing to economic growth and improving their living conditions. Italian familistic welfare predominantly assigns caregiving responsibilities—especially for children, the elderly, and individuals with health conditions—to women, thus impeding their participation in the labor market and reinforcing gender inequalities.

In this context, the study addresses the critical issue of equal opportunities for sustainable development from an innovative perspective, identifying the public health and social care sectors as potential drivers for gender inclusion in Southern Italy and its inner areas. Increased female participation, along with the investments from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPRR) in these sectors, has the potential to contribute to the economic and social development of these territories. The selection of comparative case studies has focused on three inner areas of Southern Italy characterized by the lack of public services, declining birth rates, labor market crises, and high levels of female unemployment. The analysis of official data and in-depth semi-structured interviews with local stakeholders forms the basis of the methodology. The results highlight the relationship between local underdevelopment, low public expenditure and service provision, poor quality of life, and high female unemployment rates.