RISULTATI RICERCA

Ict use amongst the over-50s: a study of new aspects of social and regional inequalities The literature on the digital divide highlights the fact that the diffusion of Icts, and in particular the introduction of internet, has given rise to new dynamics in relation to the production and reproduction of social inequalities, based on a social division of access to the web and on different modes of accessing the web. Digital inequalities are associated to different degrees of exclusion from the use of Icts, in relation to the ability to access and exploit the new technologies, which depend on a range of variables, including age. As far as age is concerned, our research confirms the existence of an inverse relationship between age and levels and ability to use Icts. The article addresses the determinants of access and the ways Icts are used by adults, drawing on a telephone survey carried out in September 2006. The random sample consists of about 1,100 people aged between 50 and 70 living in the two Italian provinces of Naples and Bologna.

Women’s migration paths and socio-economic integration of immigrated women to Milano The aim of this article is to put forward a hypothesis on feminine migration paths. By relying on the literature on citizenship regimes and on welfare states we aim to outline a hypothesis on the role of women migrants in the countries of migration. We assume that patterns of migration in which women follow their male working partners and trends in feminine migration in which women play a more autonomous role in taking the decision to migrate, tend both to segregate women in peripheral socio-economic positions thus reproducing gender asymmetries. Women tend in fact to occupy either peripheral positions in the labour structure of the countries of arrival or the private sphere as housewives. By using 1991, 2001 census data and 2005 Ismu data, we present empirical data on patterns of social and economical integration of three major migrant groups in Milan: Filipinos, Egyptians and Ecuadorians. These data provide us with evidence on the peripheral role of migrants women deriving from an ethnic conception of citizenship and a corporatist welfare state system due to which ethnic and gender based inequalities overlap.

Trajectories and weaves in women’s and men’s career stories. A gender perspective of transitions between work and not work Studies on gender, work and organizations have shown that the persistence of significant disparities between women and men’s organizational careers is related to several factors. This article is based on 52 narrative interviews with women and men employed in some of the most important sectors in the province of Trento. We applied an analytic perspective to look at careers not as single lines, but as complex phenomena, weaves of trajectories linked to different dimensions. In particular the attention focused on turning points in the professional careers, in order to highlight the processes of identity and gender positioning and the mechanisms that generate inequalities in mens and women’s professional careers.

Intergenerational transmission of inequalities in Italy: social classes and the support of children in the early stages of their working career Italian welfare state is characterized by an extremely weak protection of young people at the time of their transition from the educational system to the labour market; the welfare of these individuals, therefore, is highly familiarized. At the same time, the Italian labour market is characterized by a low degree of intragenerational mobility, a disadvantage for higher educated people in terms of the time needed to get their first job, but quite a reward for educational attainment in terms of social desirability of the first occupation obtained. Therefore, the role of the family in protecting young people looking for their first job is extremely relevant. As a matter of fact, family protection allows highly educated Italians not to compete for lower occupational positions and to wait for a good job to be offered. However, families markedly differ in terms of the protection they can offer. The article shows that, net of income resources available, families of the high service class better protect their children while they are looking for their first job and that, during the first stages of children’s working career, they tend to promote children residential autonomy much more than families of other social classes do.

Social Cohesion and Economic Vulnerability in Europe This article examines the relationship between social cohesion and economic vulnerability in Europe. The analyses are built around two main research hypotheses. The first one argues the existence of a direct and negative association between economic inequality and social cohesion. The second states that this connection is mediated by some factors including the individuals’ position in the stratification system (i.e. social class). Finally, we believe that welfare state could be relevant because of its influence on both the relationship between social class and economic vulnerability and the link between social cohesion and economic vulnerability. The empirical analysis based on the European Quality of Life Survey (Eqls) carried out in 2003 shows the central role played by the welfare state and the existence of a direct and negative connection between social cohesion and economic vulnerability, only partially mediated by the effect of social class.

Social vulnerability and new social inequalities The characteristics and dimensions of social risks are rapidly changing in Western European countries. The so-called European social model was founded on the association between permanent employment, stability in the division of roles within the family and the progressive extension of welfare guarantees. All these conditions seem to be lacking in contemporary society because of the greater job insecurity and the consequent discontinuity in incomes, the organisational tensions in the family and the inertia of the welfare system. Taken together these transformations are causing social vulnerability and affecting a substantial proportion of the middle classes. Four new social risks are identified in the article: the diffusion of income instability, the growth in temporary work, the difficulties in reconciling caring and working and the explosion of a dependent population determined by the ageing population. The notion of social vulnerability is then introduced to provide an understanding of the new nature of social risks. The possible impact on social inequality is therefore analyzed. Finally, possible implications for welfare policy are illustrated.

The professional workers of the Italian Pension System for new types of employee (Gestione Separata Inps): career paths The Italian debate upon new forms of employment mainly focussed on stock measures to demonstrate how dynamics grew up, while only few studies considered the flows. In this article we analyse an administrative dataset from Italian Pension System for new types of employee (Gestione Separata Inps) in order to study how many people enter and exit this employment and pension condition. The group is basically split into two typologies: parasubordinati (i.e. autonomous employees) and free-lance without register (Partite Iva). The results emphasise that there is not any shooting up trend in stocks; the «parasubordinati » have longer careers in that condition (though we can’t say much more about it, it generally looks like a less secure form of employment than Partite Iva); there is a general phenomenon of upheaval among Partite Iva whose trajectories in this condition are shorter and more difficult to identify. As a result we can say that the main new forms of employment in Italy are legally (and supposed to be) autonomous but actually play a rather passive role in the labour market. Thus, it is not simple to distinguish between strong workers and feeble and precarious workers because of an impossible merging with other sources, and it is very difficult to understand the future trajectories of these people. On the other hand this data may highlight the real dynamics about trends, stocks and flows.

Weaknesses and inequalities in the subordinate work: some empirical findings on incomes and opportunities for professional training and career advancements The ongoing organisational restructuring is splintering workforce, dispersing it in a variety of territories and according to different working conditions in terms, first of all, of pay, stability, protection career and life-long learning opportunities. The essay provides an overview of the empirical findings in connection with the existing disparities in the world of subordinate work, focusing specifically on two aspects: income and opportunities for life-long learning and training opportunities and professional career advancements. Within this context a segment of the workforce results being more disadvantaged compared to the rest. While the most important dimensions of the disparity continues to be the educational level, type of work and gender, other dimensions have been considered in the present work.

Privatizations in care services and inequalities in the workplace. The experience of public-private partnerships In Italy, as in other European countries, there is a trend to transform public health and social services into privately run organizations known as public-private partnerships, which involve direct cooperation between private and public bodies in the ownership and governance of such organizations. One of the fundamental aims of these partnerships is the opportunity to shift to more flexible and economical work regulations, by applying private sector employment contracts and replace public sector contracts. This article examines examples of health and social service sectors in Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy, in order to investigate the effects of the transition to the new contractual regimes and the potential creation of inequality among different kinds of workers. Apart from some general similarities, relevant differences tend to be created between health services and social services in the application of private sector contracts. Within health services, changes in work regulations are limited, ambiguous and not necessarily detrimental for employees. In social services, changes are apparently negligible but could actually quickly become more significant and unfavourable. The conclusion briefly analyses these differences and some explanations are advanced.