“ANDravamo at Explora, the Children’s Museum of Rome, for a workshop on gender differences and the economy. The little ones, male and female, were having a great time. Then a mother came and took her daughter away, saying indignantly: “We don’t talk about money with a child” ». The memory of Claudia Segre, president of Global Thinking Foundation (which promotes financial literacy), it’s crisp. «Here it is stereotype: money is discussed only with males, so much will they, when they grow up, take care of managing the resources of their companions, and of the family. As if to say: let’s clarify the roles right away, in spite of equality ».
The data of the latest OECD-Pisa surveys, published in 2020, speak for themselves. The financial skills of Italian 15-year-olds are scarce: out of 20 countries, Italy ranks 13th, after Slovakia. But in this already worrying picture, gender differences emerge: on average, children from OECD countries score 2 percent higher than their peers. Here, the gender gap reaches 15 percent. In teenagers, the damage is already done.
The value of the pocket money
“In general, in Italian homes there is no talk of money, except in those where financial literacy is more advanced,” says Magda Bianco, Head of the Customer Protection and Financial Education Department of the Bank of Italy. «And yet, financial economic competence should be an integral part of education, because it helps to encode the messages of politics, to read reality, to make decisions, to take care of personal and social well-being, to protect oneself. In other words, to become aware citizens ». This not only does not happen, but in the family, rather, inequalities are nurtured. Just think of a certain paternalistic attitude, such as: “As long as my little princess asks her dad, she’ll give her what she wants”, which contrasts with the indulgence with which the expenses of males, who go out more often, are judged. in the evening, and maybe they have the scooter before their sister. “The mistake is getting girls used to asking for moneySays Segre. “The pocket money for everyone, male and female, which makes them responsible, is much better.”
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The basic idea is always that, sooner or later, the daughters get married, and they will find someone who will take care of them. Without interruption, we pass from the support of the father to that of the husband or partner. Even today, in Italy, one third of women do not have a personal current account. According to a survey by the Global Thinking Foundation at the end of 2020, 37 percent of young people between 18 and 35 do not know what a revolving credit card is, 47 do not know the difference between the risk of buying a stock and that of a bond, while only 17 make financial investments with confidence.
From parents, to get to their children
“The problem is that if I am not able to manage myself, if I have an ancillary role in the family, I do not work and I am not independent, I also have an economic fragility”, says Giovanna Boggio Robutti, director of FEduF, the Foundation for Financial Education and Savings set up by the ABI (Italian Banking Association). “If mothers lack the basic skills, what example will they be for their daughters? And the fathers? They are also influencers », he wonders. The event that FEduF and the Savings Museum organize at Explora on Sunday 24 October is intended precisely for families: “We are Equal”, a day dedicated to adults but also with games and workshops for boys and girls, in order to help them reflect on the value of economic independence and gender equality. The initiative enters the calendar of Financial Education Month, with hundreds of free appointments until the end of October (info on quelcheconta.gov.it ).
Also noteworthy are the two FEduF webinar cycles just launched and intended for parents: “Economy and imagination”, with Banca Widiba, which proposes financial education as a home-based training subject and provides adults with the advice of a psychologist, e “Money through the eyes of women”, with Banco Bpm, where online meetings always end with the intervention of a coach who aims to stimulate awareness in mothers, “Because another problem is that men overestimate their own, while women underestimate it,” continues Boggio Redutti. They think they don’t know, step back and delegate. But they shouldn’t.
The responsibility of the school
For a real change in girls, it is therefore necessary to focus on the empowerment of mothers, which is «the power of knowledge and participation in choices», specifies Claudia Segre who with her foundation carries on the courses of “Women squared”. As long as they do not even know the Iban of the family account (and to the question they answer: “ask my husband”), as long as they are not financially independent, what message can they transmit?
Theagreement just presented between the Bank of Italy and the National Council of Notaries: «Together we can involve the associations that protect women in the area to provide them with support tools in difficult situations», says Magda Bianco. On the site notariato.it the vademecum is already available and can be downloaded Know to protect yourself, and you can find the calendar of meetings organized throughout Italy to promote female juridical-economic literacy. “Another project already underway is that between the Bank of Italy and Soroptimist, which has designed a program of financial, insurance and social security education to support the training of women,” continues Bianco.
But if the responsibility of the family in cultivating the gender gap is evident, we must not forget that of the school. “The expectations of parents towards sons and daughters are not the same, but even at school the disparities are evident», Says Annalisa Valle, researcher in Developmental Psychology at the Catholic University of Milan. «Already in primary school, girls think they are less good at math than boys. In reality it is not so, but the perception of self and female self-evaluation in Stem counts a lot, technical-scientific subjects, is low. The parents think the same way, and then end up pushing the daughters towards the humanities, and the sons towards the scientific ones, in agreement with the teachers ».
Math is for boys
According to OECD Pisa data of 2018, the gender gap between 15-year-olds in mathematical skills is, on average, 5 points, while in Italy it rises to 16; among the girls, then, there is a higher level of anxiety in mathematics. Knowing this discipline is essential for financial competence, “but unfortunately the girls think they are not capable and the gap increases,” says Bianco. «A lot also depends on the way in which the subject is taught, too theoretical and competitive. We need a more inclusive approach and a more widespread awareness ».
Financial education is not a separate subject at school today; some teachers offer it in the field of civic education and there are various educational training programs: the Bank of Italy started offering them in 2009, thanks to an agreement with the Ministry of Education which has recently been renewed. The new notebooks All for one economy for all! they are intended for both students and teachers, and the portal is also new economypertutti.bancaditalia.it.
The FEduF has launched We count even, a financial education and gender equality program for primary and lower secondary schools. And the Global Thinking Foundation also has its own project, Free to live, aimed at girls. But the the most important novelty of recent years is the diffusion of the App and digital tools for the management of savings: the easy, fast approach brings young people closer: “There is a new generation of aware girls, especially in university cities, who get information and manage themselves independently even with their mobile phones” says Giovanna Boggio Robutti.
The possibilities of digital are enormous, “because it allows you to plan in a simple way, but there is no lack of risks, especially for young people,” says Bianco. «First of all they should always remember that there is no return without risk: then, they, who are used to the immediacy of smartphones, should be careful of offers that are too tempting. It is important to inform yourself and have the skills to choose. Financial education needs to start early, for both genders, especially today “. Let’s start with the candies The first video of We count even, intended for the little ones, shows several pairs of children, always a boy and a girl, who have to fill transparent containers with pink and blue balls. At the end of the work, they are compensated with candy; but the males receive many more. The girls widen their eyes: “It’s not fair, we have to be the same!”. Against the gender gap, let’s start with candy.
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