Istat finds Italy has Europe's widest gender gap in unpaid care work and in paid work

26 October 2026

Istat has published a study of working time and gender inequality in Italy over the twenty years from 2003 to 2023.
Among people aged 15 and over, a woman spent 4 hours 21 minutes of her day in 2023 on unpaid housework and care, where a man spent 1 hour 54 minutes.
That daily difference has come down over the period, from 3 hours 22 minutes to 2 hours 27 minutes, a fall of 27.2 per cent.
Women's unpaid work itself is 37 minutes a day lower than in 2003, down 12.4 per cent, while the paid working week of employed women grew by 1 hour 33 minutes.
Where both partners hold a job, women still carry most of the household and care work.
Among employed couples aged 25 to 64, the woman's day holds 2 hours and 22 minutes more housework and care than the man's, and the gap is at its widest where there are children and in the south of the country.
Set against other European countries, Istat finds Italy's gender gap the widest both in unpaid domestic and care work and in paid work.