Gender inequality remains a major obstacle to sustainable development and inclusive economic growth. Despite international efforts and progressive legislation, inequalities between men and women persist in various areas, including employment, political participation and access to support services. This study is part of the "Navigating Equality" project jointly organised by the Universities of Genoa and Bari and supported by the Puglia Region. From December 2024 to April 2025, a survey was conducted with a CAWI questionnaire involving around 500 people from the main cities in Puglia. The survey explored awareness of gender inequalities, support for institutional policies and familiarity with existing services and policies. The results show a clear gender gap in perceptions: women consistently showed higher awareness and more support for gender equality initiatives such as gender quotas and leadership incentives. Statistical analyses confirmed significant gender differences in responses, particularly in relation to the perceived effectiveness of public awareness campaigns and the importance of parity hiring. The principal component analysis revealed two main components: the perceived commitment of municipalities to gender equality initiatives and the perceived achievement of related goals. It is noteworthy that both components showed minimal differences by gender or age. Despite a general consensus on the importance of institutional action, the survey found low levels of awareness of available support services and widespread scepticism about progress in reducing gender-based violence and the pay gap. Cultural resistance and insufficient funding were cited as the main barriers to implementing measures. The study emphasises the need for greater community engagement, better collaboration with civil society and targeted communication strategies. These findings will form a basis for the future expansion of the survey at national level.
University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0002-4817-7169
University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0001-9768-651X
University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy
University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy - ORCID: 0009-0002-0590-9451
Regione Puglia, Italy
Titolo del capitolo
Investigating the perception of Apulian citizens about gender inequalities: A socio-cultural perspective
Autori
Ernesto Toma, Angela Maria D'Uggento, Giuseppe Pellegrini, Ilaria Pepe, Annalisa Bellino
Lingua
Inglese
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-1062-1.70
Opera sottoposta a peer review
Anno di pubblicazione
2026
Copyright
© 2026 Author(s)
Licenza d'uso
Licenza dei metadati
Titolo del libro
Data, Statistics and AI for Well-Being of People and Organisations
Curatori
Luigi Fabbris, Alberto Franci, Pietro Renzi
Opera sottoposta a peer review
Numero di pagine
420
Anno di pubblicazione
2026
Copyright
© 2026 Author(s)
Licenza d'uso
Licenza dei metadati
Editore
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-1062-1
ISBN Print
979-12-215-1061-4
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-1062-1
eISBN (xml)
979-12-215-1063-8
Collana
Applied Statistics Series