DONNE AL QUADRATO

Sign up for the “Donne al quadrato” courses and change your future.

DONNE AL QUADRATO is a financial and digital literacy project for social inclusion. It was created to bring the experience of professionals involved in operational finance—and beyond—who have decades-long careers, into direct interaction with course participants through interactive sessions. The project aims to reduce the persistent gender gap in technical and financial skills in Italy.

The initiative relies on a task force of over 125 volunteers across Italy, including:

  • Chartered accountants;
  • Lawyers;
  • Financial advisors;
  • Labour consultants;
  • Start-up founders.

Its goal is to help participants acquire essential life skills related to financial and economic education, enabling them to manage these areas independently rather than delegating them to others. The project also seeks to prevent economic violence and empower individuals to take an informed and proactive role in their life choices and personal well-being.

 

LOGIN TO THE PORTAL

Available you will find:

THE LESSONS CALENDAR

 THE 5 “DONNE AL QUADRATO” MODULES

THE D2 DESK TO TALK TO OUR VOLUNTEERS

THE D2 PORTAL WITH INSIGHTS AND SLIDES

 TRAINING EVENTS WITH EXPERTS AND INSTITUTIONAL GUESTS

The first answer is that compared to other countries, in Italy women have low financial knowledge and there is also a significant difference between them and men (between 10 and 20 percentage points). The second, no less important, is that women are absolutely capable of managing their own money, even if they often think the opposite. They are more cautious and convinced that they are not up to par and more subjected to so-called “financial anxiety“, feeling uncomfortable in making economic decisions, because they are more aware than men of not knowing enough. They delegate to others what they could do better: in fact, more than 60% of women almost always manage to respect the set budget compared to just over 40% of men. Women are also less inclined to get into debt and when it comes to deciding how to invest, they prefer to inform themselves and rely on the advice of a professional. Yet, only 25% of Italians make financial decisions within the family.

This also explains the so-called Gender Gap on financial knowledge and skills and the employment and salary gap: less than 50% of Italian women have a job and earn 18% less than men. Women therefore have fewer resources available but also, in times of crisis, a more precarious position: in December 2020, out of 101,000 jobs lost, 99% were occupied by women.

Prejudices have existed and still exist even if a radical change is underway in the world of work. a world that changes not only technologically but also culturally and which seems to crack the “glass ceiling”, a metaphor that explains the impossibility of women reaching prominent positions in the corporate sector.

Today women must be protagonists of this evolution towards gender equality, they must seize all job opportunities and demand the same levels of pay as men.

In 2020, there were 1.3 million businesses led by women in Italy, approximately 22% of the total, increasing in the last 5 years by 2.9%, compared to those by men of 0.3%.

The road is long, but each of us has the opportunity to contribute to change and the Women in the Square project is here for this.

FIVE TRAINING MODULES:

Courses delivered nationwide through online and hybrid formats, in interactive virtual classrooms:

  • MODULO 1 –
PIANIFICAZIONE FINANZIARIA FAMILIARE:
UN PASSO IMPORTANTE PER REALIZZARE I PROPRI OBIETTIVI
DI VITA.
  • MODULO 2 – GESTIRE I PROPRI INVESTIMENTI IN MODO CONSAPEVOLE NELL’ERA DEL FINTECH E DELLA SOSTENIBILITA’.
  • MODULO 3 – 
LA TUA START UP INNOVATIVA E GREEN:
DALL’IDEA ALLA REALIZZAZIONE DELLA TUA IMPRESA
  • MODULO 4
– DONNE 2030: PROGETTARE UN FUTURO DI SUCCESSO.
  • MODULO 5
– PRIMA CASA, UNA SCELTA DI VITA.

FOUR CORE OBJECTIVES:

  1. To promote gender equality and empowerment by bridging the gender gap in financial knowledge and skills, and—through intergenerational knowledge transfer—encouraging younger people to pursue professional careers or career transitions, including in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics);

  2. To promote informed economic, financial, entrepreneurial and professional choices aimed at achieving economic independence and personal and professional fulfillment;

  3. To prevent economic violence and financial abuse through targeted financial and digital education that supports full self-determination;

  4. To counter non-substance-related addictions that increase the risk of gambling disorders, by fostering a responsible approach to saving and financial planning.

Six years after the launch of the project, the meetings have brought together 13,696 participants, 85% of whom are women from all over Italy. Through Modules 1 and 2, participants were able to improve their financial knowledge; Module 3 helped them approach the launch of their own start-ups with greater awareness.
Module 4, dedicated to employment (and developed in response to the need for professional fulfillment or reinvention), enabled participants to discover or redefine their professional identity by reflecting on their potential and on the power of transversal skills (soft skills), in a labour market that is changing in increasingly unpredictable ways and at a remarkable pace. The course was designed to help participants understand how to approach the job search process—from recruitment and selection procedures to CV creation and the effective use of the LinkedIn social network, through to job interviews—while gaining insight into emerging professions, new working and organizational models, and the opportunities offered by the digital era.
With the recent Module 5, participants also addressed the topic of purchasing or renting their first home, receiving practical guidance and in-depth insights into current trends in the real estate sector. This module aims to help individuals avoid incorrect assessments before taking on such a significant financial commitment, thereby safeguarding their long-term economic sustainability.

DEDICATED LEARNING SPACES PROVIDED:

1) D2 PORTAL (www.donnealquadrato.it):
A fully dedicated online platform for participants, where they can stay up to date on training opportunities through the events calendar and access exclusive materials via a restricted members’ area.

2) D2 HELP DESK AND THE We4 FACEBOOK COMMUNITY:
A listening and support space aimed at providing free legal, tax, financial and career guidance. It is a place where participants can share both positive and negative experiences, seek support in difficult situations, request clarifications from our volunteer lawyers, chartered accountants and financial experts, and ask for advice on enhancing their professional profile.
A space where women support other women one-to-one, with the aim of:

  • Helping women who are victims of economic violence to recognize it, address it and overcome it by becoming aware of the steps to take;

  • Providing guidance on how to face and resolve the consequences of economic violence and financial abuse;

  • Supporting the recognition and prevention of non-substance-related addictions, such as digital and financial dependencies, which often lead to situations of over-indebtedness;

  • Supporting sound individual and family budget planning;

  • Helping participants achieve economic independence and full professional fulfillment through practical advice on how to prepare for and navigate a job search, or how to start and consolidate an entrepreneurial initiative.

The digital Help Desk is active 24/7 via WhatsApp chat and email. Following the initial intake, support is also provided by appointment through in-person meetings at the offices in Milan, Palermo, Turin, Rome, Brindisi and Lecce.

3) MENTORSHIP: A CONTINUOUS INITIATIVE – “MEET THE MENTORS”:
An ongoing mentorship programme available as a complement to training and listening activities, designed as a guided pathway supported by volunteers from the Donne al Quadrato Task Force through private sessions. The programme offers concrete support in situations of professional difficulty, reskilling, clarification requests and in-depth case studies related to financial, legal, tax and professional competencies.

How much is your financial independence worth?
Start your journey of awareness now.
 Sign up for the “Donne al Quadrato” courses and change your future.

 

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