Ebook: The impact of Covid-19 on Italy’s gender gap

The impact of Covid-19 on Italy's gender gap
In this paper we analyse the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the gender gap
in Italy. Italy was the first European country to report coronavirus cases. The num-
ber of cases increased rapidly and severe measures were implemented to contain
the virus. The severity of the measures impacted the gender gap along several di-
mensions: labour market arrangements, school closures, the division of labour
within the household, as well as gender violence. We collected data in 2019 and
2020 in order to explore links between labour market arrangements and the divi-
sion of labour within the family. Our data suggest that women spend significantly
more hours doing housework or childcare than their partners. The division of la-
bour within the household appears to be strongly affected by gender norms, root-
ed in Italian culture. These results indicate that longer mandatory paternal leave
could help significantly to address the gender imbalance within the family.