Adnkronos Milan, October 27 (Adnkronos) – "To girls who lack self-confidence, I say: life is complicated, difficult, and unpredictable. You have to work, sweat, study, delve deeper, and also have a little courage and faith in the future. On November 10th – with the Obiettivo Effe national conference at Milan's Bicocca University – we will hear the stories of many women who have made careers, even within their own companies.
We'll tell my story, and that of other women with extraordinary stories that we can all learn from. If they did it, anyone can do it. You have to believe in yourself, never give up, and remember that hard work pays off.
This was stated to Adnkronos by Giusy Versace, Senator of the Republic, member of the Senate's 7th Committee on Culture, Sport, Education, and Research, and member of the Bicameral Committee on Childhood and Adolescence, at the presentation of the research study "Women: Negotiate Better" at the University of Milan-Bicocca, conducted by Emanuela Rinaldi, associate professor of Sociology of Cultural Processes at the university, along with her colleague Veronica Cucchiarini, professor of general psychology at the same university, and Federica Fortunato, member of the organizing committee of Obiettivo Effe, the project that promotes financial education and female empowerment.
The meeting, organized today at the Lombardy Region headquarters on Via Fabrizio Filzi in Milan, also served as an opportunity to launch an important event: "November 10th will be a special day. With its usual annual conference, 'Obiettivo Effe' is opening up to the public, women, and young adolescents," the senator explains. "We'll discuss financial education and the importance of having financial skills and knowledge to avoid financial dependence. Many women, as we approach 2026, have a joint bank account with their partner or husband," she emphasizes. "Obiettivo Effe was designed to offer new generations and the women of tomorrow the right tools to work on their autonomy, independence, and even negotiation skills."
Research conducted by Bicocca University highlights that most female adolescents "struggle to negotiate their role and salary compared to their male peers," explains Versace, who adds: "I also deal with disability and sport and I underline how often, even in top positions in the world of sport, there are no executive and managerial positions held by women."
The senator and Paralympic athlete, who lost her legs in a car accident twenty years ago, highlights the importance of "raising public awareness of how people with disabilities are often doubly discriminated against because they are both women and disabled. I experienced this firsthand," she explains. "When I returned to my new life after the accident, I had to fight my way through it because it seemed like I'd lost my brain cells along with my legs. I had to prove I was still capable of holding managerial roles," she explains. "We must continue to discuss these issues, not only to raise awareness among institutions, but also among society. Not everything can be solved with a law," she reflects. "We have a duty to raise awareness, across all sectors, to understand that merit must be prioritized and young adolescents must be given the right tools to grow. In this sense," she concludes, "I welcome the Obiettivo Effe project from Bicocca University."