The gap is due only in part to the different characteristics of the population; in particular, it cannot be ascribed to differences in the level of schooling. The disparity remains very great between the regions of the Centre and North and those of the South and Islands (Figure 4).
The failure of women to re-enter the labour market after having children is one of the factors that set Italy apart from many other European countries. In 2005, 41 per cent of Italian women between the ages of 25 and 54 with a child less than seven years old were not in the labour force, compared with the EU average of 35 per cent.