Gender violence in Italy - statistics & facts
Despite many women and men being engaged in the fight against gender inequality and violence for a long time, dismantling harmful preconceptions can take generations. Even if statistical data shows that the number of female victims of homicide and the gender pay gap are declining, women in Italy still live in the shadow of male chauvinism. Data on gender violence might not be a clear mirror of the actual violence due to several factors. For instance, women do not always report cases of violence for many reasons. When reporting cases of violence, women are often not believed, fear further violence, and lack support. In addition, in order to report a case of violence, a victim has to be able to recognize and call that act a violence. Educational, cultural, or social background might mislead the interpretation of a violence and bring the victim to identify the act as something ordinary: i.e. gender role stereotypes could influence the perception of gender violence.
