Gender inequality in the labour market represents a persistent condition in all countries, linked to institutional, economic, and socio-cultural reasons. Its social and economic consequences are significant, since gender inequality limits the potential for economic growth and social development, as women’ fulfillment and role in economy and society is often underestimated and undervalued. Despite in recent decades several policy reforms led to an increase in female employment in many contexts, such as Lombardy, this is not automatically translated into gender equality.

Women continue to be over-represented in low-wage and precarious sectors, such as the private services (e.g., accomodation, turism, restoration) while they remain under-represented in fields such as engineering and technology. In addition, women’s presence in leading positions is still limited, and the burden of unpaid work, especially domestic and care work, continues to weigh heavily on their career choices and opportunities. CITILab focuses especially on low-skilled women and working mothers and seeks targeted policy solutions to support them, comparing the different policy approaches and institutional setting of Amsterdam and Milan.