The initiative is promoted by the Italian Banking Association
Enhance equal treatment and opportunities between genders in the banking sector and within corporate organizations. It is with this objective that the ABI promotes the "Women in the bank: enhancing gender diversity" Charter within the banking and financial sector. The Abi, at the forefront of the debate on the value and evolution of the role of women in the banking industry, thus wants to further strengthen the value of gender diversity, recognizing it as a key resource for development, sustainable growth and value creation in all companies.
The role of women in the banking world is constantly evolving, as evidenced by the continuous increase in female staff who now represent almost half of the employees in the sector (45,9%). The proposed Charter therefore constitutes a tool available to companies to support their commitment to equal opportunities, in line with the provisions of the regulations in force on access to the activities of credit institutions and on the prudential supervision of credit institutions and companies investment.
The Charter is open to the adhesion of all banking and financial companies, including those not associated with the ABI, and undertakes to enhance their corporate policies according to the following principles for equal opportunities:
· promote an inclusive work environment open to the values of diversity, including gender;
· to strengthen the selection and development methods suitable for promoting gender equality, in a corporate environment oriented at every level to equal opportunities and equal treatment;
· spread the full and effective participation of women at every level of the company;
· promote gender equality also outside the bank, for the benefit of the reference communities;
· implement appropriate initiatives to address and enhance their corporate policies on gender equality.
The ABI undertakes to spread the knowledge of the Charter. The list of signatories will be published on the Association's website.