The Role of Neoliberal Capitalism in Reproducing Gender Inequality in Italy

This article considers the reproduction of gender inequality in Italy today. The post-Fordist regime is seen to exclude the former relationship between capital and labour: the absence of social and economic regulation assigns to the international division of labour the affliction of redistribution and reduces government's interest and efforts to produce social cohesion and remove discrimination. Accordingly, the unavoidability of the work of social reproduction, the transformations of family structures and the inadequacy of state intervention in social policies present significant challenges to the welfare system. The analysis of the working and living conditions of Italian women illustrates the close relationship between the structure of the labour market and social reproduction, and allows us to examine the impact of economic and social changes on the role of both men and women in public life and in the private sphere.