Page 12 - Progetta Donna

6.2.4. AGE OF WOMEN ON EXECUTIVE BOARDS OF ITALIAN ORGANISATIONS
Almost two thirds of women on executive boards in Italian organisations in SA were aged between 60 and 80 years old (Figure 8), with 44% being 61-70 years old and 21% being 71-80 years old (a factor of 2:1). Interestingly, these proportions were inverted when considering the role of president (Figure 9), with 50% (5 out of 10) women presidents that were 71-80 years old. Conversely, most of the secretaries were 61-70 years old (63%, 12 out of a total of 19 of all women in the role of secretary).
50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10%
5% 0%
Figure 8: Age of women on executive boards of Italian organisations in South Australia.
Determinants of volunteering behaviour vary over time and the literature shows in general a greater propensity for volunteering in later years for the whole population. For women, it is often the case that the capacity to volunteer in early adulthood is impacted by the need to pursue career goals and their still greater responsibility in care roles. Often when women volunteer at this stage of life, they do so in connection with their child- rearing roles, e.g., at children’s schools or sport associations. This may be part of the
21-30
Age of women on executive boards (years)
31-40 41-50
51-60 80+
61-70 71-80
reason for the disparity in participation revealed by this figure, however, other elements may be at play for this particular group, such as differences in connection to their heritage or in migratory experience given the changing political and socio-economic context.
Another interesting point is that, despite the overall low percentage of 51-60-year-old women (Figure 8, arrow), this age group had almost the same number of treasurers as the
61-70-year-old women (Figure 9, arrow).
Only 8% of women on executive boards of Italian organisations in SA were women aged 40 years and under (Figure 8), and none of them served as treasurer (Figure 9). Anecdotally, Italian associations report that getting more young people involved in the association is a challenge. Indeed, when asked to consider their priorities for the future of the organisation, the second most important
priority was to attract and retain younger members (following the need to attract more members in general).
18% 16% 14% 12% 10%
8% 6% 4% 2%
0% President
Vice Secretary Treasurer Executive Executive President Member 1 Member 2
Role on Executive Board
Other
21-30 year olds 31-40 year olds 41-50 year olds 51-60 year olds 61-70 year olds 71-80 year olds 80+ year olds
Figure 9: Role and age of women on executive boards of Italian organisations in South Australia.
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Percentage of women on executive boards %)
Percentage of women on executive boards (%)