Industry, few and poorly paid female workers in Lombardy: “Six thousand euros less in one year”

Milan, 11 May 2025 – The gender pay gap in the metalworking sector is worth almost six thousand euros .

It is the gap between the average gross annual salary (RAL) of a man, 39,717 euros , and that of a woman , which remains at 33,754 euros , 15% less . A gap that grows in smaller companies , because in those with less than 100 employees the male-female gap reaches 26% .

A snapshot of women's working conditions in Lombardy's industry taken from a report by Fim-Cisl, which analyzed data from 350 companies in the varied world of metalworking , ranging from ICT to steel, from the myriad of workshops in the Lombard provinces to the giants of defense and automotive. A world where the female presence, although growing, is still a minority . Of the total number of employed people, only 22% are women, reaching a peak of 30% in the metropolitan city of Milan, where, however, more clerical functions are concentrated due to the presence of the headquarters of the big names in the sector, in particular ICT . Blue-collar work, not only in traditional manufacturing but also in companies with a higher technological rate and with the most advanced functions, still marks a clear male predominance, with a female presence that remains at 14.6%. Given that only 15.2% of managers and 23% of executives in Lombardy are women, the “pink quotas” remain concentrated in white-collar work, often part-time, with little opportunity for career advancement and therefore salaries that remain stagnant over the years. “Progress has been made, because for example, female employment in the metalworking sector has grown by about 3% – analyzes Mirko Dolzadelli, general secretary of Fim-Cisl Lombardia – only that gender differences remain marked and there is still a long way to go. The research shows that in companies where there is second-level bargaining, and where there is a strong union presence, the gap is smaller”.

The still low presence of women, moreover, "brings to light the problem of the lack of attractiveness of a world that is looking for professional figures to train and grow. For this reason - she concludes - a reflection should also involve the world of school".

At the root of the wage gap , as in the entire world of work, is the care of young children, elderly parents, disabled or sick relatives, which still falls , almost always, on the shoulders of women. They are often forced to opt for part-time contracts, to give up overtime, travel or better-paid shifts.

" This lesser flexibility , often forced by family needs - the report states - sees women excluded or partially excluded from the provision of "reward" measures such as superminimi, which are paid at the sole discretion of the company that can, in their distribution, follow logics that do not always focus on quality, professionalism but frequently on how much presence one has in the company". In companies where "there is no type of collective company bargaining, by its nature based on solidarity and equality, the differences between men and women widen", because salary increases remain tied to levers linked to individual bargaining such as superminimi or productivity bonuses. The conclusion of the report raises an alarm for the coming years: "This female underrepresentation in the labor market has economic, social, professional and ethical-moral implications that, in the medium term, if not

we will change the pace, they will further cripple the world of work and our society".