“L’ultimo grande segreto ancora aperto”: la violenza di genere al lavoro in Italia

Abstract

Public attention to the issue of gender-based violence against women has grown considerably over the last fifteen years in Italy, as evidenced by the amount of research that reflects on this trend, tracing the causes as much in the action of feminist movements (in particular, the networks of anti-violence centers, the mobilizations of Non Una Di Meno and #MeToo) as in institutional interventions and legislative reform (e.g., the Istanbul Convention), and in the activation on the issue by organizations and professionals in the fields of communication, education, and research. However, interest in the problem not only involves different social sectors and audiences unevenly, but also seems to be sharper for some forms of violence, and less so for others. Among these, gender-based violence occurring in work contexts and relationships appears to be among the least addressed forms in public discourse, institutional action, and academic research. This happens despite the high incidence of this type of violence in all job sectors (ISTAT, 2018b, 2024) and its theoretical relevance, as a means of maintaining and/or restoring the dominant gender order (Connell, 2013). Moreover, following the adoption of the first international convention on violence in the world of work (Convention No. 190 of the World Labour Organisation, ILO in 2019, ratified by Italy in 2021), some incipient transformations have been triggered in this field, whose development and impact in the Italian context have not yet been sufficiently investigated. Our article aims to contribute to bridging this knowledge gap, by delving into the topic of gender-based violence in the world of work from a sociological and feminist perspective. The article is based on qualitative, exploratory research conducted in the country since 2022 and still ongoing. The research is based on twenty-three semi-narrative interviews with experts from the world of work and trade unions, to analyze their perceptions of the phenomenon and of the transformations underway. The analysis sheds light on the relevant - albeit slow and unstructured – changes that are emerging in the field, in a context where cultural and structural dynamics converge in making the workplace a largely unsafe space, especially for women and gender non-conforming persons. The exploratory study paves the way for further research and some open questions, regarding the current relationships and the possible future collaborations between labour organizations, feminist movements and anti-violence centers on the issue of violence at work, the pathways towards a more effective enforcement of existing norms, and the role of political forces and institutions in this effort.

Keywords: gender-based violence in the world of work, social transformations, labour organizations, C190, feminisms.