Expert Meeting “Gender Equality and the Workplace”
An International Dialogue to Promote Gender Equality in the Workplace
On 1-2 October 2026, the Expert Meeting “Gender Equality and the Workplace” took place in Rome at the Pontifical Academia Mariana Internationalis (PAMI). The event was organized by the Istituto di Studi Superiori sulla Donna of the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in collaboration with the International Network of Women Leaders.
The initiative provided an important opportunity for interdisciplinary and international dialogue on gender equality in the workplace, bringing together academics, institutional representatives, private-sector experts, professionals, and members of international organizations from various countries.
The meeting was held within the broader framework of reflections related to the implementation of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 and aimed to foster constructive dialogue on the main challenges and opportunities associated with the full participation of women in economic and professional life.
The Ongoing Challenges of Workplace Equality
One of the recurring themes throughout the meeting was the need to move beyond a purely quantitative understanding of gender equality. While acknowledging the progress achieved in recent years, many speakers highlighted that women’s presence in decision-making positions does not yet translate into full participation in leadership and governance processes.
Discussions focused on persistent inequalities that continue to characterize labor markets worldwide: pay gaps, occupational segregation, barriers to advancement into senior leadership positions, and the unequal distribution of caregiving responsibilities. Several speakers emphasized that these issues remain rooted in organizational and cultural models that continue to reward the ideal of the always-available worker, often incompatible with family and caregiving responsibilities.
Work and Parenthood: A Defining Challenge
A significant portion of the discussion was dedicated to the relationship between work and parenthood, recognized as one of the key challenges to achieving genuine equality.
The contributions highlighted how motherhood and career advancement continue to be perceived in many contexts as competing realities. At the same time, an innovative perspective emerged, viewing caregiving not as an obstacle to professional development but as a source of transferable skills relevant to leadership, people management, and decision-making.
Particular attention was also devoted to family and parental support policies. Participants stressed that investing in parental leave, flexible work arrangements, and caregiving services is not merely a welfare measure but a strategy capable of generating economic, social, and demographic benefits for society as a whole.
A particularly meaningful contribution came from reflections on the experiences of mothers of children with disabilities, inviting participants to rethink prevailing concepts of productivity and value through the lens of caregiving and human vulnerability.
Women’s Leadership and Organizational Transformation
Another major area of discussion concerned women’s leadership and the transformation of organizational cultures.
Speakers emphasized that female talent is now widely present in educational and professional pathways, yet still encounters significant obstacles to its full recognition and advancement. Participants underscored the need to move beyond leadership models historically shaped by non-inclusive paradigms and to promote workplaces capable of valuing diverse leadership styles, competencies, and experiences.
Among the proposals discussed, particular emphasis was placed on increasing transparency in recruitment and promotion processes, addressing decision-making biases, and creating genuinely merit-based organizational systems. Women’s presence in leadership positions was viewed not only as a matter of fairness but also as a condition for improving decision-making quality and fostering innovation within organizations.
Artificial Intelligence: New Opportunities, New Risks
Considerable attention was given to the impact of artificial intelligence and digital transformation on the future of work.
Contributors observed that the new frontier of inequality is no longer limited to access to technology but increasingly concerns the ability to use, govern, and develop it. Women remain underrepresented in artificial intelligence and STEM-related fields, while forms of discrimination and bias continue to be embedded in algorithms and digital systems.
Speakers stressed the urgency of investing in digital education, professional reskilling, and the development of competencies that enable women to actively participate in the design and governance of emerging technologies. Inclusion in the age of AI, they argued, must extend beyond technology use to encompass participation in shaping the rules and frameworks that guide technological development.
A Global Perspective on Gender Justice
The Expert Meeting also offered an international perspective on the diverse realities experienced by women in the world of work.
Testimonies from Africa, India, Europe, and Latin America highlighted the wide range of challenges that persist across regions: informal employment, wage poverty, the digital divide, limited access to social protection, multiple forms of discrimination, and violations of fundamental rights. At the same time, participants reaffirmed the crucial role of international conventions, public policies, and multilateral institutions in advancing substantive gender equality.
A strong consensus emerged that gender justice is not a sector-specific issue but an essential component of human development, democracy, and sustainable economic growth.
Looking Ahead
The reflections and proposals developed throughout the two-day meeting underscored that promoting more inclusive workplaces, strengthening women’s leadership, supporting families and parenthood, and ensuring ethical and responsible governance of technological innovation are all fundamental drivers of genuinely sustainable human, economic, and social development.
The Expert Meeting concluded with a shared understanding that gender equality in the workplace is one of the most significant and strategic challenges of our time. The contributions and experiences presented throughout the event confirmed the importance of continuing dialogue among academia, institutions, businesses, and civil society in order to develop concrete solutions, encourage interdisciplinary exchange, and promote policies capable of generating lasting positive impact.
The meeting also laid the foundations for strengthening an international network of collaboration and research committed to advancing these discussions and contributing to the development of practical policy recommendations in response to the challenges posed by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.