Women in the new economy: regenerative, ethical and sustainable

Picca Bianchi, Fipe-Confcommercio: "Managerial vision and skills are needed." 

"The presence of women in the world of Public Establishments is now an established reality, but a new mentality is needed to take it a step further. Living inside kitchens is no longer enough: to give the sector a future, one must first become a manager, transferring one's vision of the world inside the premises. A change of perspective that can be led first and foremost by women."

This is how Valentina Picca Bianchi, president of the Women's Group of Fipe Confcommercio, opened her report at the category's Annual Meeting, in the presence of the president of the Italian Federation of Public Establishments, Lino Enrico Stoppani.  

The framework from which Picca Bianchi's reflection moves is in the numbers. After plummeting in 2020 due to country lockdowns, the number of women-owned businesses has returned to pre-Covid levels, exceeding 112,700 by the end of 2021. What still remains on the negative side is the employment figure, with 411,000 girls working in bars, restaurants and catering businesses compared to nearly 480,000 in 2019. It is also the fault of a sector, the restaurant industry, that is losing its appeal especially to the female world, due to schedules that are not compatible with personal life and because of the high mortality rate of businesses.

Hence the challenge issued by the president of the Women's Group to the entire industry.

"Today 51.8 percent of female workers in public establishments are women, while only one in three businesses is owned by women," explains Picca Bianchi. "In the coming years, the goal must be to overturn these percentages. An assumption of responsibility, but also a way to give a new identity to the sector, through an approach that is first and foremost managerial and that focuses on the strong values of this historical period. From ethics, to sustainability, then, passing through the development of welfare systems capable of combining private and professional life, and gender inclusion and security projects.

"One example out of all," emphasizes the president, "is the #SicurezzaVera project, with which we are transforming numerous public businesses into garrisons of legality and safe havens for women who are victims of harassment, violence or unwelcome excessive attention. Thanks to the collaboration with the State Police, we are ready to make a further qualitative leap by extending Sicurezza Vera to other realities."

Plans that go hand in hand with a pragmatic approach to contingent problems, with the boom in applications from women entrepreneurs in the sector for access to funds for women entrepreneurs also made available thanks to the Pnrr.

A way to give their businesses the solidity they need to emerge unscathed from the perfect storm unleashed by soaring inflation, utility bills and food commodities.

"We survived the storm," claims President Picca Bianchi, "because we are persistent, resilient and capable.

Source: Federazione Italiana Pubblici Esecizi

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)