Scholarships, Research, and Podcasts: Bocconi Celebrates Gender Equality

ON THE OCCASION OF WOMEN'S WEEK, WE'RE TAKING A CLOSE LOOK AT BOCCONI RESEARCH ON GENDER EQUALITY AND ITS COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine make the 2022 International Women’s Week a difficult one for women across the world.
 
“The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic could reverse the limited progress that has been made on gender equality and women’s rights,” reads the Unites Nations’ webpage devoted to Sustainable Goal number 5 – Gender Equality.
 
“War theaters, furthermore, are a breeding ground for violence on women,” warns Graziella Romeo, Associate Professor of Gender Law and Women’s Rights at Bocconi.
 
This all comes on top of gender pay gap, glass ceiling, underrepresentation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education, as well as in politics – to name just a few of the forms of inequality that have been afflicting women for decades. Since research is the most powerful tool a University can deploy in the fight against inequality, these are also topics investigated by Bocconi scholars.
 
   

One year ago, Bocconi launched the AXA Research Lab on Gender Equality, directed by Paola Profeta. The Laboratory has already contributed to shedding light on gender issues related to the pandemic, education, and politics, among other things.
 
SDA Bocconi School of Management scholars Raffaella Saporito, Silvia Rota, and Elisabetta Trinchero have recently investigated the gender gap in the public administration, unveiling substantial equity problems.
 
Diversity and inclusion are centerstage in the new podcast series Think Diverse, produced by Bocconi and hosted by the Dean for Inclusion and Diversity, Catherine De Vries. “In every episode, I pick the brain of one of my Bocconi colleagues about their research on these topics,” she said. “They not only outline their key findings, but also highlight the policies we can implement in order to combat some of these inequalities, thus helping us translate our commitment to diversity and inclusion into specific actions.”
 
   

In this week’s episode, Luisa Gagliardi explores the dark side of time flexibility. The corporate emphasis on willingness to work overtime is a penalization for women, but can also backfire on companies, that unnecessarily limit the talent pool they draw from.
 
Research, though, is only part of an overall diversity and inclusion strategy Bocconi embarked on several years ago. “Diversity is a fact, inclusion is a practice” is the motto behind the Inclusive Gender Equality Plan that highlights the results reached and how far we have still to go.
 
Gender inclusion is a societal goal, impossible to be pursued in isolation. Thanks to a network of corporations and individual donors willing to promote equality, Bocconi can offer a number of named scholarships reserved for women and powered by generous supporters: Diego and Monica Piacentini Tuition Waiver Program; Donna Javotte Women Scholarship Fund; Generali Bocconi Women in Stem Awards; Ebay Bocconi Women in Tech Awards; OTB Foundation Brave Women Awards; Equita, Bocconi Awards for Women in Finance and Executive MBA tuition waivers for female students; Pirelli Women Awards; Mastercard Bocconi Women Awards. CLICK HERE to learn more.
 

by Fabio Todesco