Violence against women? Physics, but not only. Any gender-based abuse that can cause psychological damage and suffering is violence. Controls and deprivations, isolation and pathological jealousy, harassment and criticism, humiliation. And then there is “economic” violence, which turns into a ban on women from working or exclusion from family finances, even to the point of being forced to sign particular documents.
A real act of abuse which, however, is almost socially accepted, if we consider that one in three men considers economic violence plausible, while it is so for almost half of Millennial and Gen Z males.
Furthermore, for one in four, verbal and psychological violence are largely motivated by provocations and “incorrect” behavior by women. The majority (55%) of Millennials consider control over their partner to be legitimate, especially in the event of betrayal or failure to take care of the home and children. Not to mention physical violence, which is justifiable for almost 2 out of 10 adult males.
It’s all data reeled in WHY IT DOESN’T HAPPEN. Primary prevention as a policy of structural change, ActionAid’s research conducted with the Pavia Observatory and B2Research on perceptions of violence and discrimination in Italy and how to prevent them
Primary prevention cannot stop at the necessary education in schools, but must involve people of all ages, with actions aimed at all areas of daily life, because only a cultural change can stop male violence against women” declares Katia Scannavini, Co-Secretary General of ActionAid Italia.
All the inequalities
Every sphere, both public and private, in which women move is marked by profound gender inequalities, which perpetuate traditional roles and imbalances of power, effectively limiting their autonomy.
Already within the home, as many as 74% of women are responsible for housework alone, compared to 40% of men, with even more marked differences between the older generations (80% of Boomer women and 83% of Gen X). The same goes for parenting, where the burden falls on 41% of mothers, who take care of their children without the help of others, while only 10% of fathers find themselves in the same situation.
When we leave the private sphere, the situation does not improve: public spaces are designed to respond mainly to male needs. Cities are in fact less safe and accessible for women: more than half (52%) of them have felt fear in public spaces, compared to 35% of men, with a peak of 79% among the youngest and a still high percentage among women of the Boomer generation (55%). The use of public transport is often linked to care and family needs, with shorter and more frequent journeys increasing the risk of exposure to uncomfortable situations: 38% of people were afraid of traveling on public transport, but among young women of Gen Z this figure rises to 65.5%. Only 13% consider public transport always safe, while 40% believe that a woman can only feel safe during the day, and a quarter only if accompanied.
In the field of culture and its products (films, TV series, live shows), women are often faced with stereotypes and representations that undermine their value. 55% of women felt a sense of devaluation in cultural content, a feeling that rises to 70% among the youngest Gen Z. Even online, almost four in ten women (40%) say they frequently or occasionally fear sexist responses to their content.
This fear is particularly strong among Gen Z girls (59.3%), but drops to 29.1% among older women of the Boomer generation. Young people, more active on social media, are therefore more vulnerable to attacks and more aware of digital sexism.
And what does the Government do?
Government policies, so far, have not led to significant changes. Although gender mainstreaming – the integration of the gender perspective into all policies – has been indicated as a priority in the National Strategy for Gender Equality 2021-2026, this principle has never been concretely applied.
The National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) should have been a real opportunity to integrate gender into all public policies, including that on mobility, but this too did not happen. According to the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), in Italy the institutional mechanisms created to implement gender equality policies and integrate the gender perspective have not been effective.
In 2025, Italy achieved a score of 41.1%, well below the European Union average of 50.8%, while Spain achieved 86.2%.
For this reason, ActionAid underlines that the responsibility of translating words into concrete actions lies with the entire Government and Parliament, without exclusions. The necessary actions are:
- integrate the gender perspective into all public policies
- implement a specific strategic and operational plan for primary prevention, with certain resources and measurable objectives. One of ActionAid’s first requests is that the Government bind at least 40% of the funds of the national anti-violence plan to primary prevention
This would allow Italy to align itself with countries like Spain, where over 50% of funds are allocated to measures to promote gender equality, with concrete results: from 2003 to 2024, feminicides decreased by over 30% and in 2024 the lowest number of women killed since official data exist was recorded.
