The Covid crisis has a negative impact on the birth rate and the work of women in Italy, already affected by "
a demographic recession
", according to figures presented to parliament by the National Institute of Statistics (Istat).
Read also: Covid-19: Italy crosses the 50,000 dead mark
"
The climate of fear and uncertainty as well as the material difficulties (...) caused by recent events will have a negative impact on the fertility of Italian couples,
" said the president of the National Institute of Statistics Gian Carlo Blangiardo during a hearing Tuesday, November 24 in parliament.
In 2019, Italy had already registered with 420,000 its lowest number of births in more than 150 years, but this figure could drop to 408,000 in 2020 and 393,000 in 2021, according to Istat forecasts.
“
The demographic recession that has hit Italy since 2015 is significant and is reflected in a real collapse which has no equivalent in Italian history unless we go back to 1917-1918, a time marked by the Great War and the dramatic effects of the Spanish Flu
”, analyzed Gian Carlo Blangiardo.
Among the factors having a negative impact on the fertility rate is the unfavorable labor market situation, which particularly affects young people and women.
The fall in the employment rate between February and September hits women more (-1.9% against -1.1% for men), who not only recorded a decrease in their employment rate during the months of confinement, but also a slower recovery afterwards.
According to Istat, "
the effects of the crisis on the labor market caused by the health crisis have primarily affected the most vulnerable fringes on the labor market (young people, women and foreigners)
".
"
The pandemic has had the effect of amplifying the inequalities already present in the labor market
", summarizes the Institute.
The pandemic has destroyed 80% of the jobs won by women since the 2008 financial crisis: from 2008 to 2019, Italy recorded 602,000 additional jobs held by women, but it took only three months between April and June to destroy 470,000.
In Italy, only one in two women works, compared to 73% in Germany, 62% in France and 58% in Spain.
Only Greece does less well than Italy in Europe with 47%.