https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Italy in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Italian MPs voted on Wednesday to broaden the definition of sexual violence to include non-consensual acts, in a rare collaboration between Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and opposition leader Elly Schlein. https://www.thelocal.it/20251119/italy-to-toughen-rape-law-to-include-non-consensual-sex Wed, 19 Nov 2025 14:44:38 +0100 italy-to-toughen-rape-law-to-include-non-consensual-sex The idea that richer areas should get a bigger share of coronavirus vaccines has sparked an outcry in Italy, where inequality in healthcare funding between regions is a major issue. https://www.thelocal.it/20210120/covid-19-anger-in-italy-at-call-for-more-vaccines-for-rich-regions Wed, 20 Jan 2021 11:59:19 +0100 covid-19-anger-in-italy-at-call-for-more-vaccines-for-rich-regions Whether through new nurseries or bridging the gender pay gap, many Italian women hope a post-pandemic recovery plan will tackle entrenched inequality in the labour market, especially in the poorer south. https://www.thelocal.it/20201130/design-a-fairer-country-how-post-covid-reforms-could-help-close-italys-gender-gap Mon, 30 Nov 2020 15:14:22 +0100 design-a-fairer-country-how-post-covid-reforms-could-help-close-italys-gender-gap Italian schools have ranked poorly again in a prestigious international study, leading to claims that the country is suffering from "educational poverty". https://www.thelocal.it/20191203/educational-crisis-italys-schools-compare-badly-with-the-rest-of-europe Tue, 03 Dec 2019 14:54:19 +0100 educational-crisis-italys-schools-compare-badly-with-the-rest-of-europe Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Wednesday he will ask the European Commission to give Italy's poorer south a special status to help boost employment and tackle organized crime. https://www.thelocal.it/20190911/italy-to-seek-special-eu-status-for-disadvantaged-south Wed, 11 Sep 2019 16:46:35 +0200 italy-to-seek-special-eu-status-for-disadvantaged-south Pope Francis railed against social inequality on Sunday, lamenting "the din of the rich few" drowning out the voice of the needy, as he marked the second "World Day of the Poor". https://www.thelocal.it/20181118/pope-denounces-din-of-rich-few-on-world-day-of-poor Sun, 18 Nov 2018 13:16:19 +0100 pope-denounces-din-of-rich-few-on-world-day-of-poor A study of life expectancy in Italy reveals a "health gap" between north and south, as well as between those with and without a university degree. https://www.thelocal.it/20180219/italy-north-south-health-inequality Mon, 19 Feb 2018 18:04:09 +0100 italy-north-south-health-inequality In 2016, 30 percent of people in Italy – more than 18 million – risked poverty or social exclusion, national statistics agency Istat said on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.it/20171206/italy-poverty-exclusion-inequality Wed, 06 Dec 2017 14:40:14 +0100 italy-poverty-exclusion-inequality Women who want equal opportunities to work, fair pay, political representation, a higher education and access to health care won’t find it in Italy, global statistics show. https://www.thelocal.it/20171103/italy-gender-gap-worse Fri, 03 Nov 2017 12:56:18 +0100 italy-gender-gap-worse Italy is one of the world’s worst countries for wage equality, with women earning significantly less than men for similar work, a new report by the World Economic Forum shows. https://www.thelocal.it/20141028/italy-one-of-worlds-worst-for-wage-equality Tue, 28 Oct 2014 13:33:00 +0100 italy-one-of-worlds-worst-for-wage-equality