Cooperation is the engine of change
To reduce the gender gap in workplaces and support women who are victims of violence, it is essential to take targeted action by implementing concrete changes, educating employees and young people on gender equality, and offering new job opportunities to victims. This is what Coop believes in — and for the fifth consecutive year, it has launched the Close the Gap campaign to promote gender equity and reduce disparities. Moreover, every day Coop encourages equality within its organization through employee training programs and supports women victims of violence by initiating job reintegration paths and providing dedicated welfare measures.
This year, the central theme of Close the Gap is the establishment of relationship education as a compulsory school subject — a tool to prevent discrimination and gender-based violence. The starting point, in fact, should be the education of new generations, guiding them in the process of discovering and understanding their emotions. Italy remains one of the few European countries that does not include this type of teaching; yet, many people are in favor — as the data shows.
According to the survey La Scuola degli affetti. Indagine sull’educazione alle relazioni (conducted by Coop’s Research Office in collaboration with the research company Nomisma), 49% of Italians aged 18 to 64 believe that relationship education in schools can promote gender equality (46% responded “somewhat,” and only 5% said “no”); 70% agree that it should be introduced as a compulsory subject, 1 in 2 parents think it could begin as early as elementary school, while 9 in 10 believe that programs should focus on relationships with partners and others, as well as sexual education (body anatomy, sexually transmitted diseases, contraception, and consent).
When analyzing data on the parent–child relationship, the survey reveals that, although 44% of respondents say they often talk about interpersonal relationships, sexual education remains a taboo topic. The reasons include fear of causing anxiety, embarrassment, and resistance from boys and girls. In light of the support from both young people and adultə for the teaching of these topics, Coop launched the Dire, fare, amare campaign to raise awareness about the need for relationship education — to accompany young people in discovering their emotions, guided by mutual respect, communication, and empathy.
This need is also reaffirmed in the Diritto a stare bene campaign, which supports a popular legislative proposal to establish a national public psychology service. The initiative involves collecting signatures to reaffirm that psychological assistance is a right and to highlight the urgency of introducing relationship education as a compulsory subject, with the support of psychologists. In fact, according to the survey data, the minority of respondents who were not in favor expressed concern that the topic might be addressed superficially or by non-experts. The Diritto a stare bene campaign envisions including teaching hours led by psychologists capable of understanding young people’s emotional difficulties and preventing these from turning into harmful behaviors toward others.
It is clear that the common thread connecting Coop’s many initiatives against gender-based violence is prevention, an essential component also found in the memorandum of understanding signed between Coop and the Fondazione Giulia Cecchettin to promote equal relationships and a culture of respect. The pilot training project (involving about 150 employees from five stores in Padua) begins with a preliminary survey inviting participants to reflect individually, exploring their knowledge and perceptions of gender-based violence. This is followed by five modules in which trainers from the Fondazione Giulia Cecchettin engage participants in discussions to promote an inclusive culture and address issues of harassment and abuse against women, identifying possible critical areas. The goal is to create a model that can be replicated and adapted to other contexts — because only through cooperation is real change possible.