Empowering Women: A Journey of Independence and Dreams

"You must believe in your dreams, trust in yourself, and never give up. It's important to say this today, on March 8th, to young women. If you really care about a dream, then you should be the first to take a step towards achieving it, because the dream will never come knocking on your door. Indeed, behind a dream, there is always a lot of sacrifice, work, and a good dose of positivity. To achieve my dreams, I too made many sacrifices," says Giovanna Della Posta, 51, the super manager of public real estate. Since 2019, she has been the CEO of Invimit, a company that has generated 500 million in revenue for the State and public entities. Her successful career started from the bottom, studying and working to support herself through university, all the way to Harvard. She came from a modest family but with very solid principles: honesty, integrity, tenacity, and justice. To girls, she offers a suggestion: to always conquer economic independence, in other words, to have a job and their own bank account to freely draw from and to rely on at any moment in life. What does March 8th mean to her? "A value that allows us to remember the condition of women. We ourselves - including me - should pause more often to reflect on our role and our aspirations, sometimes we forget because we put others before ourselves. Every day, women experience altruism, care, the ability to solve problems, both small and big at the same time. Women are also flexible and generally have empathy." How does she balance her role with family? "It's not easy. It requires effort and a lot of energy. To my two children, from a young age, I explained what job I did. I had to leave, travel, work, and take care of them, all at the same time. Children need to understand. When my daughter was little, I explained that thanks to our work, we help the country contain public debt. One day, after seeing me excited about a successful project, she asked: 'mom, does this mean we will pay less taxes?' I explained that it wasn't that direct, however, my work contributed. I tell them what I'm doing and make them proud." Teenagers are looking for female role models to inspire them... "Things are changing even here, and just having a woman Prime Minister in Italy counts a lot." Does her husband support her? "Yes, my husband participates, also because I do the same when he travels. We have some help. In general, however, male support tends to wane where traditional dynamics come into play, sometimes not exactly nuances. The discussion would be quite long. Let's just say that commonly, roles are not yet interchangeable in a family's economy." How strong is patriarchy in Italy? "The patriarchal mentality exists and is difficult to erode. The few women who have broken the so-called 'glass ceiling' are trying to break cages and clichés. When I read about so many acts of violence against women, I cannot help but see a common thread that connects many victims to the issue of economic independence. Those who had left their jobs, those who had not managed to position themselves independently. All depended on their partner or husband or ex-husband. We should think and consider how to bridge this gap." What could be done? "To start, talk about it more. I just finished reading an American bestseller that I also recommended to my thirteen-year-old daughter. The story is about a mother and a daughter: the former is a victim of domestic violence, the latter promises herself that she would never accept that fate for herself. However, as she grows up, she finds herself living the situation she most wanted to avoid. Unlike her mother, thanks to her economic independence, she leaves her partner and decides to raise the upcoming child on her own. In the process, of course, she revisits everything her mother could never do."