Annual gross salary in Italy 2023, by grading and gender

In 2023, men holding top management positions earned roughly 109,600 euros annually in Italy. In the same year, the annual gross salary of female top managers amounted to approximately 103,300 euros, 6,200 euros less than their male colleagues. This represents the largest grade wage gap recorded by JobPricing, as male middle managers, white- and blue-collar workers receive around 3,250 euros more than female employees. Specifically, at the middle management level, the pay difference was reduced to less than 3,000 euros. A glance at the year-on-year variation of the gender salary gap shows that, overall, the pay gap decreased between 2016 and 2023, yet it was still quite high, especially among white-collar workers. 

Unemployment rate by gender

The pay gap is one of the major indicators to determine the level of gender inequality in a given society. Another relevant indicator is the unemployment rate. In 2022, the unemployment rate was higher among females than among males across all Italian regions. The southern regions Campania, Sicily, and Calabria recorded the highest levels of unemployment for both men and women. Basilicata, another southern region, registered the greatest gap between genders in terms of unemployment. 

Females in management positions

The presence of women in top management positions is a key indicator for grasping the level of gender inequality in the working environment. In 2022, women represented 42.9 percent of the members of the boards of companies listed on the stock exchange in Italy, recording an ongoing growth since 2013, when only 17.8 percent of the members of the boards were women.