Working to Help Others
At eighteen, Titti Postiglione imagined her future working on the slopes of Vesuvius, a geologist studying the Earth and history, “science and humanity together,” she says. So, she did her degree in geology and her doctorate in volcanology. But life has taken her to other “slopes”: today she is deputy head of the National Civil Defense and, as she tells us, she’s working to help others.
Born in Salerno, she first crossed paths with the world of civil protection in 1998. She says: “I read in a newspaper about this course organized by the Umbria and Marche regions for civil protection technicians. They took me and I attended the classes in Fabriano, a town that had been hit by an earthquake. It was an extraordinary experience, also because my classmates and I studied in this beautiful convent of cloistered nuns.” It was there that Postiglione began to think that she could do something for people in need, but no longer as a scientist. “The next step in 1999, when I successfully applied to the department, where I still work, and I got my first one-year contract,” she adds. A series of temp contracts followed, until she was hired on a permanent basis. She eventually became Head of the Italian Situation Room, then General Manager of the Emergency Office and finally Deputy Head of the Civil Defense Department. In between, she studied for a Master’s in Public Administration Management at Bocconi University.
“It’s a strange job, dealing with people’s pain on a daily basis, with disasters that cause damage and disrupt lives. I succeed in my work by never losing my humanity, concentrating not on the idea of working on geographical areas but on communities.” Always keeping the value of the work, its usefulness, in sharp focus. “The greatest satisfaction? When you see the people you’re trying to help recognize your genuine commitment,” she adds.
For Postiglione, space for women in civil protection is growing. “I can’t say that there is parity, partly because many of the roles are related to technical-scientific competences, STEM subjects, where there are still fewer women, and partly because hierarchies are dominated by men. But things are changing. “Out of nine general managers [heading the department’s offices], we have four women and there are more second-level managers. When I started, I remember that the first women commander of the national fire brigade made the news. That’s no longer the case.” Leadership is also evolving: “I would like to see a world where we don’t talk about male and female leadership as if they were clearly separate concepts. I think men and women have different characteristics, yes, but they can be complementary. Mixed teams, in my experience, are the ones that work best. Women’s ability to look at multiple issues at the same time, their ability to listen and to communicate is very valuable.” She advises women students not to be too cerebral.
“The passion factor makes all the difference. I tell girls never to think that great challenges are beyond their reach. There’s no such thing as jobs that are suitable or unsuitable for women.” But there is a society that needs to evolve around the new roles of women. She smiles: “My mother was an exceptional woman, she was one of the few law graduates in the 1950s. Then she got married, my brothers and I came along, and she became a housewife. Today women have more opportunities, but we need to build a different society.” And it will be up to the new generations too to design it.
