Women in Physics in Italy: The Leaky Pipeline

Italy is often considered a fortunate country for women in physics. Indeed, the number of women among students in higher education and in the early stages of careers is relatively high, certainly much higher than in most other countries worldwide. However, the percentage of women among physicists decreases very rapidly with increasing level in the profession; also, the presence of women in positions of power is generally negligible. Undergraduate courses in physics in Italy are now well attended by women, who are generally very successful in their studies. In this report we summarize some representative data and discuss breifly some possible explanations and the proposed focus for future actions.