SWAT: After giving birth, Cosmiana grew interested in social media algorithms
“One out of every two women doesn't work. It’s the country's real emergency,” explained Linda Laura Sabbadini, a pioneer of social and gender statistics, in an article published on daily La Repubblica in November. “The low employment rate of Italian women is directly linked to a high family workload. The arrival of a child leads 20% of women to leave their jobs.”
In December, the Research Service of the Chamber of Deputies published a study on female employment that confirmed Italy's lowest ranking in Europe in terms of female employment rate. Employed women aged 25 to 49 with a child under 6 are 55.5%, while women without children reach 76.6%.
According to the ISTAT SDGs 2023 Report, the distribution of the workload for family care between men and women has not improved. The only protective factor for the employment of women with young children is education. The occupational difference between the status of mother and non-mother is very low only with higher levels of education.
Cosmiana defines herself as an "engineer mother." She is 43 years old and is “looking for a job that responds to her strong passion for digital tools while respecting family and personal needs.”
“I attended the presentation of the Programme SWAT and I was pleasantly surprised. It seemed to be speaking to me,” she says. “In fact, the course addresses women who are no longer very young and who still want to get involved but struggle to find their dimension in a working context that is still not very open to their needs.”
Among the various training proposals of Programme SWAT, Cosmiana selected the professional course in social media marketing to “embark on a new professional course.”
In continuity with her previous education, Cosmiana chose a role that requires familiarity with the analysis and interpretation of data, operational algorithms, a sort of social engineer, because marketers must not be confused with the managers, who focus on content and community animation.
“I grew interested in digital marketing a few years ago, studying on my own and taking on-line courses, but I noticed that working alone can also lead to a sense of disorientation,” explains Cosmiana. “The SWAT course was an excellent way to get in touch with other women who are in the same situation as me and with whom it was possible to establish a very fruitful discussion, as well as creating a support network.”
Like Rosa and Angela, Cosmiana also achieved the first certification on advanced digital skills: “the certifications provided by the SWAT programme are the real added value as you have the opportunity to acquire new knowledge and guarantee professionalism and competence to the outside world.” Cosmiana is experiencing the "protection" of her degree very actively, as a resource, and the SWAT experience as transformative learning.
Project Supporting Women, Arousing Talents (SWAT) was selected by the Fondo per la Repubblica Digitale - Impresa sociale and is organized in partnership by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale, Arci and Fondazione Adecco ETS. Courses on digital skills (basic, advanced, and specialistic) will be made available for 250 unemployed women, aged 18-50, in search of employment and/or a better job.
All acquired skills will be attested by certifications meeting certification and professional skills standards, as per the Atlante del Lavoro classification system developed in collaboration with Roma Tre and IT Logics. For further information, read the interview with Prof. Silvia Ciucciovino, Professor of Labour Law at the University of Roma Tre: Dig4All and Swat: Training with Certified Skills.
