Dto Emma Bonino, economist Irene Tinagli, from manager Cristina Scocchia to former cyclist Alona Andruk: 99 Bocconi Alumnae interviewed for the book Changed by Women, which will be presented at Bocconi on March 8 at 8.30 pm in a free event open to all. «They are women who have passed through our university and have followed a career path and personal satisfaction, finding their own path», says Paola Profeta, vice-rector of Diversity, Inclusion and Sustainability at Bocconi, who wrote the afterword. «Women of different generations, and also from different countries».
Paola Profeta, vice-rector for Diversity, Inclusion and Sustainability at Bocconi University, edited the afterword of Changed by Women.
The 99 Alumnae – there are, among others, Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli, Farian Sabahi, Paola Bonomo, Silvia Candiani, Virginia Stagni – tell of different, successful experiences, «but they are not “necessarily number 1» underlines Professor Profeta. «We wanted to propose them to the girls not as symbols, but testimonies of women who, at different historical moments, after studying at our university followed personal paths, overcoming obstacles and program changes, realizing their own future”.
But Changed by Women it is not just a book (the author is Diana Cavalcol)i: «it is a platform to support female empowerment: the first step will be the creation of scholarships for female students, which will be financed thanks to the proceeds of the book», continues Prophet. «Speaking with our Alumnae for interviews, we discovered that many would be happy to finance scholarships for girls, because Bocconi has changed their lives, and they would like this opportunity to be offered to other young people».
Paola Profeta: «At Bocconi courses are fairly balanced between the two sexes»
Today at Bocconi male and female students are «fairly balanced, especially in courses such as Management, while Finance is more masculine, and Law more feminine. The new Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science courses are balanced, but need to be monitored for future classes. We want to welcome all girls who can have successful professional paths.”
The cover of Changed by Women which will be presented at Bocconi University in Milan on March 8th.
Our country needs female talents: Italy, with its female employment rate just over 50 percent, is last in Europe: «An index that has essentially been blocked for decades. The Lisbon Agenda asked all European countries to reach 60 percent in 2010; many have succeeded, we have not. Low employment then drags with it the Gender Gap in wages and careers”, continues Profeta. «Today we are talking about it, there is awareness of how female employment is a topic of economic growth and development, but strong investments in policies and services would be needed. A systemic intervention, not a spot one.”
Without a more incisive measure, there is no way out. Instead, a step forward would be important especially today, in view of new challenges: «I’m thinking of technology and Artificial Intelligence. If the economy pushes in this direction, and processes accelerate, we must be careful to involve women, otherwise they risk being left out».
A risk that the 100th protagonist of Changed by Women did not take: Donna Javotte Manca from Villarhermosa, wife of Ettore Bocconi, brother of Luigi to whom her father Ferdinando dedicated the birth of the university in 1902, after her husband’s death she was president of Bocconi. As Andrea Celauro reminds us, in the imaginary interview that opens Changed by Women, for 25 years, from 1932 to 1957, he led the university. And if in the first years there were very few female graduates (like Giuditta Catelli, in 1908), in 2022 they reached 45 percent of the total. The road is well underway.
iO Donna © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED