Politics? A Challenging Path
“Women in politics? They are passionate, very focused on the positive impact they can have on the world. But they have to grapple with an environment where the prevailing posture is muscle flexing as an end in itself. A lot of work needs to be done to change these mechanisms, especially in Italy.” Irene Tinagli, a member of the European Parliament representing Italy’s Democratic Party, currently chairs the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs.
She puts it bluntly: her political career has been a challenging path, often an uphill one, but also an opportunity to try to solve the problems she faces every day, as an economist with a deep concern for social issues. “My decision to study management at Bocconi was a very rational one. I remember looking carefully at the statistics on post graduate employment.”
During her studies, she discovered a love for political economy and labor issues: from inequality to generational questions. Her keen interest in this field led to her first book, Talento da Svendere (Selling Out Talent), about brain drain in Italy, and to her work as columnist for the Italian daily La Stampa.
“I’ve always loved writing and dealing with complex issues.” Tinagli’s first contact with politics was in 2008, when Walter Veltroni asked her to join the Founding Assembly and then the first national leadership team of Italy’s new Democratic Party. “Until then,” she explains, “I debated about politics with my parents at home. Both my parents had a strong sense of civic duty. I remember that they never missed celebrating May Day (International Workers’ Day) or the 25th of April (Liberation Day in Italy, marking the end of Nazi occupation in 1945).”
Tinagli witnessed the birth of the Democratic Party, which she left shortly afterwards to continue her academic career. During these years, she added a PhD in Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh to her résumé, and began teaching economics at Carlos III University in Madrid. Then came the call to politics, and she became a member of the Italian Parliament in 2013. “I hesitated when they asked me to run for office. I had no experience and I had recently discovered that I was pregnant. But it was an exciting challenge. I remember someone told me, almost provocatively: ‘You keep writing about what should be done to solve problems; now it’s your turn to solve them.’”
So Tinagli threw herself into her new role, working round the clock in Parliament. “Hard years, it was impossible to plan my days and with a small child I remember bending over backwards to attend meetings. Considering my current experience in the European Parliament, I can say that in Italy politics is still chaotic, whereas here, from meetings to conferences, everything is well-run. Careful organization and very technical, hands-on discussions. For me, this is an extraordinary way to combine a love of in-depth analysis and policies with a passion for politics.” Which means, above all, getting the opportunity to make a real difference by sitting at the table where decisions are taken that affect people’s lives.
“Advice for today’s young women? Apart from curiosity, I always tell them to nurture relationships. Including friendships. Healthy, positive ones. Many of the turning points in my career have been linked to the people I’ve met, the advice and insights they’ve given me. Of course, it takes sensitivity and the ability to listen to and understand different points of view. Less ego and keen awareness and curiosity about the world,” concludes Tinagli.
