Participants represented women’s civil society organisations, SME and enterprise development bodies, regional innovation agencies, agricultural chambers, and professionals with public administration and sectoral experience. The discussion highlighted the structural characteristics of the sector, which is dominated by small, often family-run enterprises with limited formal HR capacity and strong generational patterns in ownership and leadership. While women play a significant role in administrative, marketing, tourism, and support functions, technical, production-related, and strategic decision-making positions remain largely male-dominated. Participants also pointed to territorial differences, noting that traditional gender norms tend to be more entrenched in rural areas, even as signs of generational renewal and increased female leadership are emerging in some wine regions.
Discussions further underscored that gender inequality and discriminatory behaviours are rarely addressed openly, with many issues normalised as part of workplace culture, particularly in traditional business settings. Structural barriers such as patriarchal leadership models, limited visibility of female role models, reliance on informal and seasonal labour, and the absence of clear reporting mechanisms in SMEs were identified as key challenges. Participants stressed the need for the future Grapes of Change Observatory to go beyond data collection by playing a strong educational and awareness-raising role, providing clear guidance on discrimination and gender-based violence, mapping available support services, and sharing good practices tailored to small enterprises. Significant data gaps were also highlighted, particularly regarding women’s informal work and leadership roles, reinforcing the importance of the Observatory in consolidating evidence, supporting prevention efforts, and framing gender equality as a competitiveness and sustainability issue for the sector.