“Women and Work,” the feminine genius for the wellbeing of families and society

Many current topics are discussed in the volume “Women and Work,” edited by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life and just published by the Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

Indeed, as Cardinal Farrell writes in his presentation, “the activities that women undertake are exquisitely lay by their nature; they make possible the encounter between the professional world and the world of the family and the care for life, a world where women have always been and still are the protagonists.” The Holy See follows with particular attention what is happening in the feminine universe, and has always promoted reflections and initiatives to help deepen the issues of the dignity and vocation of women. The volume was composed after one of the last events promoted by the Pontifical Council for the Laity, the study seminar organized on the theme of women’s access to the professional world and the consequences of this phenomenon, over the last century and in particular during the last decades, for the life of society in general but also for the private life of families.

“Issues that are central for the well-being of our societies,” notes the cardinal Prefect in his presentation. Well-being is also highlighted in the preface by the President of the then Pontifical Council for the Laity, Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, who writes about the need for “a double recognition of the role that women play in public life for building up structures that are richer in humanity, and in family life for the well-being of the family itself and for the education of children.” The role of women within the family is essential, but it is equally true that we can no longer think of being able to do without their presence and their contribution in all social and professional spheres.

The book contains interventions by women and men, experts and witnesses from the different continents, who, starting from the history and geography of the feminine presence in the world of work, illustrate the need for the clarity of their identity in assuming well-defined roles and facing difficulties, as well as the opportunities of women in the world of work, the achievement of the necessary harmonization between work and family commitments. They also tell about the wealth of humanity in a world where women, by their presence, make an indispensable contribution.

“Donne e lavoro”, Seminario di studio, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2017, 224 pages