PWA Milan has crossed the 100 mark in this new membership year. The Membership Directors thought it might be interesting to share a little information on PWA’s members with readers of the Newsletter by presenting a brief cross-sectional analysis; in short, a description of “who we are”.The Professional Women’s Association of Milan (PWA) is an international group of women living and working for the most part in the Milan area of Italy. The membership is growing every day, and as of mid-November it numbers more than 100 women.
A truly international organization, PWA’s members come from 16 different countries, from Italy and its European neighbours to countries in North and South America, Africa, Asia and Australia. Italy is in the lead representing 30% of members, followed closely by the USA, after which comes the UK and Canada. Twenty-three per cent of members are dual citizens, most of whom include Italy as one of the nationalities.
PWA is strongly anchored by its renewing members, as demonstrated by the fact that 51% of our members were enrolled last year as well, and a further 7% are former members returning to PWA after a period of absence. New members bring new energy and represent 42% of the total. This combination makes for a healthy state of growth for the association.
About two out of five of PWA’s working women are employed by a company, and this same number of members is then split between independent workers and entrepreneurs. The remaining 20% consists of women who work in the fields of government, education, and research; who are pursuing higher education; or who are simply in a transitional period. PWA is professionally varied. Its members cover 27 different professional fields with a strong representation (30% collectively) in marketing and public relations, information technology, and education and training.
The PWA woman is between 24 and 70+ years old, with 46% representing the core 30-40-year age range.
Members are attracted to PWA for professional development, personal growth, networking and socializing. For many, the decision to join PWA stems from the search for new career opportunities or the desire to develop their own businesses; for others, new friendships or help with orientation in Milan and Italy are more important. Members seek contact and communication with other women who might be going through a similar life stage or work situation and with whom something can be shared or learned. Whatever the reason, membership in PWA seems to represent an important opportunity to start a new page in life, or to build on one already opened.
Pamela Fries and Alenka Petan
Membership Directors
