Italian Labour Minister Cesare Damiano vowed on Tuesday to reduce the pay gap between men and women in Italy, saying that the current divide was "alarming".
The minister issued a government report showing that women in full-time work earned up to 3,800 euros less per year net than their male counterparts.
The study said that the figure rose to 10,000 euros for self-employed women.
It highlighted other elements of discrimination, saying that 20% of working women were in jobs which were below their abilities and that 76% were forced to retire with minimum pensions.
The report said that women had more problems than men in finding full-time employment and that 54% of all workers suffering from job insecurity were women.
Damiano said his ministry would focus next year on measures and incentives aimed at closing the pay gap and increasing the number of permanent jobs open to women.
