Red Public

24/03/2022

Social media as a vehicle for promoting female entrepreneurship

In addition to the many negative aspects, the Covid-19 pandemic situation has also had a major positive impact, especially on female entrepreneurship. One aspect that has particularly characterised the push towards female entrepreneurship is the use of social media to promote one's business.

Indeed, social media has played a significant role in this wave of change.
Some statistics show that more than 200 million people visit a business profile on Instagram every day and there are more than 300 million monthly visitors to the Shops section.

This represents a big opportunity for many women to create their own business, especially during the lockdown. This phenomenon occurred globally, in fact the result was that:
40% of business accounts globally created since the start of the pandemic on Instagram and Facebook are women-owned.
In 2021, 59% of Facebook groups related to entrepreneurship were created by women.
On Instagram, since the start of the pandemic, there has been a 30.36% increase in women-owned businesses in Italy.
Also in Italy, in 2021, 56.98% of Facebook groups on entrepreneurship topics were created by women.

This data represents a new generation of female entrepreneurs, who have managed to make their way even in adverse times by exploiting the potential of social networks and who, through social networks, are able to influence other women, giving them the courage to take the same path.

Sources: https://www.corrierecomunicazioni.it/digital-economy/imprenditoria-femminile-incentivi-e-finanziamenti-ecco-come-fare/
https://www.elle.com/it/magazine/women-in-society/a39295605/imprenditoria-femminile-social/

22/03/2022

Dark Side of social media

Mass media reaches audiences through communication platforms. It allows people to stay connected through many social platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and twitter.
However, there is also a dark side to social media. With unrealistic beauty standards causing many women to feel insecure.

Social media promotes influencers, models, celebrities with perfect body shapes. Women are portrayed with flat stomachs, plump breasts and plump lips. These women also document their eating habits and lifestyle routines as well as their workout routines. All of this to show that this contributes to the way that they look. However, it is all fake. These are unrealistic standards of beauty. The truth is that these false ideas of beauty influence many young women to think that it is all natural when it isn’t. The looks of women are due to plastic surgery, a lot of makeup and face tune. These women are used to promote merchandise and to sell products.

This false portrayal causes many women to feel insecure and have many phycological disorders as well as eating disorders.
Just recently some platforms and magazines depict a variety of different women that have different types of beauty. “Dove” for instance advertises women with different body shapes and different hair styles. This depiction is very different than the typical Victoria’s Secret Model. Nowadays, mass media is slowly shifting away from the stereotypical woman and is not limited to the traditional mother and wife role. Working women with other interests are getting depicted.

Sources: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272243002_Image_of_Women_in_Media
https://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/beauty-health/the-dark-side-of-social-media-how-unrealistic-beauty-standards-are-causing-identity/hv4tffb

16/03/2022

GEP: evoluzioni e prossimi passi

Gli ultimi decenni sono stati segnati da notevoli passi avanti da parte dell’Unione Europea (UE) in ambito di uguaglianza di genere. L'UE infatti ha incentivato percorsi e attività volti ad analizzare le cause delle disparità ancora esistenti, mirando alla realizzazione di norme che favoriscano la parità di trattamento.

Per questo motivo, La Strategia per la parità di genere 2020-2025 dell’UE, ha previsto l'adozione obbligatoria del Gender Equality Plan (GEP) per accedere al programma Horizon Europe.

Le azioni previste nel GEP devono essere attinenti agli Obiettivi di Sviluppo Sostenibile (Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs)18 dell’Agenda 2030 dell’ONU.
Questi sono obbiettivi definiti con l’intento di porre fine alla povertà, lottare contro l'ineguaglianza e favorire lo sviluppo sociale ed economico.

In pratica, sono stati individuati 13 obiettivi, 18 azioni, 35 strumenti che presentano un’attinenza con 5 SDGs.

Gli obiettivi finali che la Commissione Europea mira a traguardare entro il 2025 sono:
- porre fine alla violenza di genere
- combattere gli stereotipi sessisti
- colmare il divario di genere nel mercato del lavoro
- affrontare il problema del divario retributivo e pensionistico
- conseguire l’equilibrio di genere nei processi decisionali

Horizon Europe ha inoltre previsto le linee guida di finanziamento per lo stanziamento di fondi per azioni che supportino lo sviluppo di Gender Equality Plans nella ricerca e nell’innovazione.

Fonti:
https://www.enea.it/it/enea/chi-siamo/documenti/riferimenti-normativi/gep_enea_30_4_2021.pdf

09/03/2022

Red Public for PlusPlus24 Fisco Webinar

For the event organized by plusplus24 Fisco about benefit companies to discuss the stimulation of innovation and sustainability for businesses, Giada Maldotti, CEO and Founder of Red Public will talk about the advantanges for companies to become a benefit company and the companies' actions for common benefit.

Red Public has the pleasure to announce that it became a benefit company in March 2022.

We invite you to participate in the webinar that will be held in the 9th of March at 15:00 using the following link:
https://gruppo24ore.webex.com/gruppo24ore/j.php?MTID=m82ae599bfccfeef943380cd875e67506

02/03/2022

The Silent Female composers

When people think about music and composers, Mozart, Schumann and Mendelssohn may come to mind. However, female composers also contributed to the musical history and were just as talented as males.
It was very difficult for women to publish their work and often women had to publish their work under a different name using pseudonyms or if they were lucky, they would publish their work through male composers.

Barbara Strozzi is a perfect example of a venetian composer that was ahead of her time. She was a gifted soprano and was the first woman to publish her music under her own name. F***y Mendelssohn was another gifted musician and composer. She would publish her work under her brother’s name and gave feedback and on his own work.
Francesca Caccini is another composer, singer that published the “Comedy Ballet” La liberazione di Ruggiero in 1625. This was considered a successful opera that was successfully staged by an Italian woman. Nevertheless, her works were often assumed to be by her father.

For centuries women struggled to have rights for the minimum recognition of their works. Many had well connected husbands and fathers to publish their works, while others that we will never know about weren’t so lucky. These women did not wait for a female mentor or seek a female tradition. They worked in a male dominated musical culture and had to face struggles and criticism. Elisabeth calude jacquet, Ethel Smyth, Clara Schymann and many others had to do this.

Sources: https://www.classical-music.com/composers/most-famous-female-composers/
https://utahsymphony.org/explore/2020/03/10-trailblazing-female-composers-you-need-to-know/
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/02/arts/music/01womencomposers.html

23/02/2022

We encourage you to read the interview of our inspiring CEO Giada Maldotti who talks about the values of Red Public and the importance of in the

IAA Italy Chapter intervista Giada Maldotti, CEO e Founder di Red Public per il nuovo hub Uniquess & Inclusion. Cosa significa essere donne imprenditrici?

22/02/2022

The Unrecognition of Women through history of music

When considering the progress of music through the course of time, the main questions that we ask ourselves are “What has changed?” and “What hasn’t changed?”. The subject of women composers and their evolution in history is always an important topic that one must consider. It is a subject that has a vast spectrum of opinions and talks about the lack of recognition that women composers had existing throughout history.
There were a lot of social constraints that caused the lack of recognition given to female composers. There is no mention of women in reference books.
For instance, music appreciation and music history textbooks published between 1979 and 1985 show that 28% of the various textbooks show no women composers and more than 50% mention either one female composer or none. The lack of recognition is clearly shown in these statistics, and this causes further ignorance and misleading information that only male composers have creative minds.
The lack of recognition of female composers still exists and it is up to society to educate themselves on the existence of female composers.

SOURCES:https://digitalshowcase.lynchburg.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1013&context=agora

16/02/2022

Il ruolo di Red Public nell’implementazione del Gender Equality Plan

In qualità di esperto nel campo della sostenibilità sociale e dell'uguaglianza e inclusione di genere, Red Public offre il suo supporto a enti pubblici e privati per aiutarli a stabilire una situazione duratura di uguaglianza e inclusione nel loro ambiente di lavoro.

Alti livelli di Uguaglianza e Inclusione sono raggiunti grazie all'implementazione del Gender Equality Plan. Il piano si basa sull’analisi della situazione attuale e sulla definizione di obiettivi futuri dell'azienda su argomenti quali:
Equilibrio tra lavoro e vita privata;
Equilibrio di genere nella leadership e nel processo decisionale;
Uguaglianza di genere nel reclutamento;
Pari retribuzione;
Violenza di genere.

Il primo passo per declinare un Gender Equality Plan è un audit interno atto a valutare e analizzare la situazione dell'azienda sulla parità di genere. Basandosi su uno strumento creato da Red Public, ampliato rispetto ai benchmark esistenti, è possibile identificare e valorizzare i principali driver di analisi. Viene definito poi un chiaro piano d'azione sulla base dell’as is e sugli obiettivi che l’organizzazione vuole raggiungere. L'implementazione del Gender Equality Plan è supportata da KPI chiari e consistenti che vengono valutati e monitorati nel tempo. Il percorso verrà personalizzato e calato sulle esigenze dei nostri clienti, pubblici o privati.

08/02/2022

GEP: uno strumento per i cambiamenti strutturali

I Gender Equality Plans (GEP) si configurano come iniziative strategiche volte a definire il quadro giuridico e le misure necessarie per implementare l'uguaglianza di genere e metterle in atto sul posto di lavoro. La struttura del GEP è caratterizzata dall'identificazione di una serie di obiettivi strategici e di azioni mirate volte a garantire un forte impatto in termini di parità di genere. Queste azioni devono essere realizzate in un periodo definito e dirette all’ottenimento di un risultato predeterminato e misurabile.

Secondo la definizione dell'Istituto Europeo per l'Uguaglianza di Genere - EIGE, un GEP "può essere suddiviso in diversi passi o fasi, ognuno dei quali richiede specifici tipi di interventi: una fase di analisi che include la raccolta/analisi di dati disaggregati per genere e procedure, processi e pratiche per la valutazione di genere; una fase di pianificazione, in cui si definiscono gli obiettivi, si fissano i traguardi, si pianificano azioni e misure, si attribuiscono risorse e responsabilità e si concordano i tempi; una fase di attuazione, in cui si attuano le attività e si intraprendono sforzi di sensibilizzazione; e una fase di monitoraggio, in cui il processo e i progressi sono regolarmente seguiti e valutati" .

L’identificazione del GEP come requisito di ammissibilità ai Programmi Horizon Euope per gli enti pubblici, Università e Istituti di Ricerca intende essere un messaggio forte nell’Unione Europea nello stimolare la definizione di approcci innovativi che promuovano la parità di genere. Questi settori possono dunque svolgere un ruolo significativo nel migliorare l'inclusione delle donne sul lavoro. Ulteriore cambiamento significativo avverrà quando il GEP come requisito di ammissibilità a fondi Europei si allargherà anche agli enti privati, obiettivo già sul tavolo dell’UE.

Fonte:
EIGE “Gender Equality in Research” at: http://eige.europa.eu/gender-mainstreaming/tools-methods/gear/objectives-gender-equality-research

02/02/2022

Gender Equality Plan: requisito di ammissibilità in Horizon Europe

La direttiva 2006/54 del Parlamento Europeo riguardante l’attuazione del principio delle pari opportunità in materia di occupazione e impiego, è sicuramente la base portante della creazione e attuazione del Gender Equality Plan.

Su questo principio si basa il riferimento normativo della strategia per la parità di genere 2020-2025 dell’Unione Europea. Si tratta della creazione delle linee guida per “identificare e implementare strategie innovative per favorire il cambiamento culturale e promuovere le pari opportunità negli enti pubblici, nelle Università e nei Centri di Ricerca” da parte dell’Istituto Europeo per la Gender Equality (EIGE, eige.europa.eu).

L'uguaglianza di genere, infatti, rappresenta un pilastro fondamentale nelle politiche della Commissione europea. Per questo motivo la Comunità Europea ha proposto di includere il GEP come nuovo criterio di ammissibilità, che deve essere correttamente implementato al momento della conclusione di una convenzione di sovvenzione per i Programmi Horizon a partire dalle call con scadenza nel 2022.

Con un budget totale di 95,5 miliardi, Horizon Europe è il nuovo programma quadro dell’Unione Europea per il periodo 2021-2027 che mira a implementare una ricerca mission-driver che si focalizzi su temi rilevanti per la società odierna.

I requisiti formali che ciascun GEP deve rispettare sono:
Pubblicazione formale (firmato dal top management e pubblicato sul sito web dell'istituzione)
Risorse dedicate all'implementazione (Equality Officers o Gender Equality Teams)
Raccolta di dati e monitoraggio con report periodici
Formazione e sensibilizzazione sull'uguaglianza di genere e sui pregiudizi di genere inconsci per il personale e i responsabili delle decisioni

La Comunità Europea ha inoltre definito un piano per il lancio di una rete di punti di contatto nazionali sul GEP, per favorire la conoscenza e il supporto attraverso orientamenti, formazioni online e workshop di apprendimento.

Fonti:
https://first.art-er.it/_aster_/viewNews/52507/horizon-europe-pubblicata-la-guida-ufficiale-sul-gender
https://horizoneurope.apre.it/ncp_wide-net-il-punto-sul-gender-equality-plan/
https://www.ncpwidenet.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Gender_Equality_Plans_in_Horizon_Europe_30_03_2021.pdf
https://www.crea.gov.it/documents/20126/0/GEP+del+22+novembre+-+Copia.pdf/94f6ac2b-6f75-e521-e800-1cef4e5c6600?t=1637769519088

27/01/2022

The Struggle of Women on stage

The role of women in the film industry and in the theater has changed through the different years. The film industry was seen more as a business rather than art. And men were predominantly working in the film industry.

In the 1920s until 1982, female directors were not credited at all from Universal Studios. The introduction of the Hays Code made the roles for female actors less prevalent and excluded women from acting. This exclusion of women was seen even in the ancient Greek and roman theater. The Greek and roman theater put women in an inferior position respect to men. Women had many restrictions and men saw women as a potential threat and “dangerous”. For this very reason women weren’t allowed to perform publicly, and men would play female characters on stage.

Women began movements to fight for their rights and the typical stereotypes. Aphra Bahn for instance became an important figure who developed a career as a dramatist. She went against the cultural norms and became the first professional female playwright. She made huge efforts to promote the feminist ideas and gave women the chance to acknowledge their abilities on stage and in plays.
During the years women started to gain ground in the movie and theater industry.

Women were also playing male roles, and this was a very rebellious act to go against the restrictive social expectations. Women started to get roles as protagonists, and they started to receive incredible gains in 2019. The percentage of movies where women were the protagonists increased from 31% in 2018 to 40% in 2019. With other movements such as the MeToo movement and Times Up movements, women may get their voices heard.

Sources: https://womensmediacenter.com/fbomb/the-history-and-future-of-women-in-film
https://nctheatre.com/blog/women-theatre-historical-look
https://studycorgi.com/role-of-women-in-theatre-throughout-history/

20/01/2022

Legislative developments for the promotion of inclusive work

Over the last twenty years, many steps have been taken from a legislative point of view for the integration of people with disabilities into the business world. The most important laws consist of:

- Law no. 68 of 12 March 1999 "Standards for the right to work of the disabled" aims to promote the integration of disabled people into the world of work through support services and targeted employment

- Law no. 151 of 2015, better known as the "Job Act". It is a bonus/economic incentive that offers concessions to the employer who hires persons with disabilities

- The Decree of the Minister of Labour of 8 July 2021, published in the Official Gazette on 31 August, refinances the contribution relief for hiring disabled workers

Twenty years after the approval of the law on targeted employment (L.68/1999) for the social inclusion of people with disabilities, although having made important steps forward, the goal is far from being achieved.

These important steps consist of giving companies the opportunity to create jobs for people with disabilities and to give them the possibility to work and earn a salary.

Some practical examples concern the catering sector. In Italy, there are many decisive activities that promote inclusive work: La Trattoria de Gli Amici (Comunità di Sant'Egidio, Rome: see full interview https://www.redpublic.com/insight/red-public-interview-paola-scarcella )

Sources:
https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/1999/03/23/099G0123/sg
https://www.leggioggi.it/2021/09/07/assunzione-lavoratori-disabili-2021/
https://welforum.it/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/InclusioneLavorativaPersoneDisabilita_FondazioneStudiConsulentiLavoro_3dic19.pdf
https://www.trattoriadegliamici.org