Professor Paola Profeta of Bocconi University On 5 Things We Need To Do To Close The Gender Wage Gap
The root of gender inequality is the unequal allocation of time. And if we fix that, we don’t just reduce the gender wage gap, we improve well-being, productivity, and efficiency across society.
As a part of this series, we had the pleasure to interview Paola Profeta.
Paola is the Dean for Diversity, Inclusion and Sustainability and full professor of public economics at Bocconi University. She is also the Director of the AXA Research Lab on Gender Equality at Bocconi. Alongside her work with the university, Paola collaborates with the Italian Minister of Equal Opportunities in several committees and she is the Italian representative at the Expert forum of EIGE (European Institute for Gender Equality). Paola is also a scientific advisor of several associations for the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the “backstory” that brought you to this career path?
I studied Economic and Social Sciences as an undergraduate, where I developed a strong interest in policy, particularly in understanding how reforms can make our economies and societies more equal, without sacrificing efficiency. I was always drawn to questions like: how do we fix what isn’t working, and how do we do it in a way that is both fair and sustainable?
I loved studying, and that naturally led me to pursue an academic career. Early on, as a young associate professor at Bocconi, a leading institution, I was asked for my perspective on women in the economy and on gender gaps. At first, it wasn’t my main field. But I began to look at these issues more closely.
At the same time, at the beginning of my career, I had some personal experiences that made these issues more tangible. I chose not to focus on them at the time and continued to move forward. However, as I engaged more deeply with these questions, I started to connect my individual experiences to broader patterns. I realized that what I had encountered was not unusual, but part of a much larger, structural issue.
That was a turning point. I saw that this was an area where research could have very concrete, real-world impact and where I could personally contribute. I gradually shifted my focus toward gender economics, with the goal of not only understanding these disparities, but also identifying effective ways to address them. That’s really what brought me to where I am today.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this career?
One of the most interesting, but also most difficult, moments in my career was when I felt that things were not moving forward as I had hoped, and I started to question whether I would be able to progress. It also made me realize that there are moments when things can happen, and moments when they cannot and that it is important to be able to distinguish between the two, something I was not always able to do. I worked extremely hard and fought for my advancement, and in the end, things did move forward. But it was due to a combination of determination, persistence, and finally being ready at the right moment.
Sometimes our biggest mistakes lead to our biggest discoveries. What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made as a leader, and what did you discover as a result?
My biggest mistake was certainly my inability to manage the boundary between my professional and personal life as well as I should have. In particular, I too often brought my worries and disappointments from work back home. We have a responsibility not only as professionals, but also as role models at home, and in that respect, I did not always succeed. This experience made me realize that leadership is not only about how we manage teams or institutions, but also about how we manage ourselves, our emotions, our balance, and the signals we send to those closest to us. For me, that has been the most difficult part of leadership.
Ok let’s jump to the main focus of our interview. Even by 2023, women still earned about 81 cents for every dollar a man makes. Can you explain three of the main factors that are causing the wage gap?
There isn’t a single explanation for the gender wage gap; it is the result of several overlapping and reinforcing factors.
First, occupational segregation plays a major role. Women remain underrepresented in higher-paying fields such as finance, technology, and certain areas of management, and overrepresented in sectors that tend to be less well paid. This is not only a matter of preferences, but also of constraints, social norms, and unequal access to opportunities. It is also closely related to differences in fields of study: while women are now, on average, more educated than men, they are still underrepresented in STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) which often led to higher-paid jobs.
Second, career interruptions and the unequal distribution of caregiving responsibilities are key. Women are still more likely to take time out of the labor market or reduce their working hours due to childcare and family responsibilities. This is closely linked to the (limited) role of men in housework and childcare, as well as to the availability of supportive policies such as childcare services and parental leave. These dynamics have long-term consequences for earnings, career progression, and access to leadership positions.
Third, culture and workplace dynamics matter significantly. Women may self-select into lower-paid jobs, but firms also make different choices when hiring, evaluating, and promoting men and women. Biases (both conscious and unconscious) still play a role. The workplace environment itself is crucial: whether it is supportive of women and families can influence both career choices and outcomes.
Can you share with our readers what your work is doing to help close the gender wage gap?
My work focuses on understanding the mechanisms behind gender gaps and identifying which policies and interventions are actually effective in reducing them. I provide rigorous evidence on what works and what doesn’t, so that policy design can be based on data and facts rather than assumptions. Beyond research, an important part of my work is engaging with policymakers and institutions. Sharing evidence in a way that is accessible and relevant can contribute to shaping better policies and more inclusive workplaces.
Closing the gender wage gap requires both good data and good policy. My contribution is to help build that evidence base and to make it useful for those in a position to implement change.
Can you recommend 5 things that need to be done on a broader societal level to close the gender wage gap. Please share a story or example for each.
Closing the gender wage gap requires coordinated action across several dimensions. Based on the evidence, there are at least five key areas where broader societal change is needed.
1. Redesign leaves to encourage shared responsibility
Paternity leave is crucial to increase the sharing of responsibilities between mothers and fathers and to reduce discrimination by firms. Policies need to incentivize fathers to take leave, not just mothers.
Example: In Spain, the gradual equalization of maternity and paternity leave has contributed to a significant improvement in gender equality, by normalizing fathers’ involvement in childcare and reducing the asymmetry between men and women in the labor market.
2. Invest in accessible, high-quality childcare
Affordable childcare is essential for allowing women to remain fully attached to the labor market.
Example: Expansions in public childcare in several European countries have been shown to increase female labor force participation and reduce career interruptions, supporting more equal earnings over time.
3. Encourage women’s participation in STEM disciplines
It is essential that women have access to higher-paid fields, and this starts with education and early exposure. Barriers are often not about ability, but about confidence, perceptions, and social norms.
Example: Research shows that reducing math anxiety among girls can significantly narrow gender gaps in math performance, even without changes in selection. This highlights how psychological and cultural factors can shape educational choices and, ultimately, career paths.
4. Increase women’s representation in leadership positions
Achieving gender-balanced leadership, through all available tools, including quotas where necessary, is beneficial not only for women, but for organizations and society as a whole.
Example: The introduction of board gender quotas in Italy led to an increase in the overall quality of board members, as more qualified women entered and less qualified men exited, with positive effects on decision-making.
5. Improve workplace practices, including pay transparency
Firms, universities, and organizations need to build inclusive cultures and adopt fair and transparent practices.
Example: Pay transparency has been shown to reduce gender gaps by making disparities visible. Gender equality plans have a similar goal. Similarly, addressing issues such as sexual harassment is essential, as it reduces the need for women to leave jobs or careers, improving retention and long-term outcomes.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
If I could inspire a movement, it would be a movement to reorganize time in our societies to better correspond to gender equality. A large part of gender inequality is driven by how we structure time. School schedules, childcare availability, and working hours are often misaligned, and the burden of managing this gap still falls disproportionately on women. At the same time, fathers are often not fully enabled or incentivized to take on an equal role in caregiving.
The root of gender inequality is the unequal allocation of time. And if we fix that, we don’t just reduce the gender wage gap, we improve well-being, productivity, and efficiency across society.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“You can’t be what you can’t see.”
It’s a simple idea, but a very powerful one. Early in my career, I didn’t always think explicitly about gender issues, even when I experienced them. Partly, this was because there were not many visible examples of women navigating similar paths, especially combining an academic career with what was considered early motherhood. Over time, both through my own experience and through my research, I came to understand how important representation is. What we see shapes what we consider possible, for ourselves and for others. This applies to education, to careers, and to leadership.
This is also why I care deeply about the people I work with, my team, my students, and my research assistants. I try to follow them closely in their career paths, offering guidance and support whenever I can. In a way, I see this as part of the same idea: helping make paths more visible and more accessible for others.
This quote has been relevant to me because it captures why I believe so strongly in increasing visibility and opportunities for women, and in inspiring the next generation.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why?
I would have a conversation with Malala Yousafzai. She is an inspiring young woman, deeply committed to girls’ education, who represents a younger generation shaping the global conversation on equality. She brings both an experience and a perspective that I find truly fascinating and refreshing, as they are quite different from my usual circles of academics, business leaders, and policymakers.
Thank you for sharing these insights!
Professor Paola Profeta of Bocconi University On 5 Things We Need To Do To Close The Gender Wage… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.