The Invisible Cost of Women’s Freedom

“He never hit me.” It’s a sentence that sounds like a clarification, but hides a devastating truth. As if violence must be loud in order to be acknowledged. But there are silences that hurt more than actions. There are invisible chains and prisons built on restrictions and financial control. This is how economic abuse, one of the most prevalent yet underreported forms of gender-based violence, begins to take hold.

In honor of International Women’s Day, Pomellato unveils the ninth edition of the Pomellato for Women 2026 campaign. This year, the brand shines a light on this silent form of control, which is all too often disguised as an act of care. The campaign centers on the profound link between money, power, and freedom. It is brought to life through a collaborative video featuring voices from the arts, culture, sports, business, and civil society, all uniting to denounce a form of violence that leaves no bruises, yet strips women of choice, dignity, and their futures.

The invisible chains of economic abuse

Economic abuse is control, deprivation, and forced dependency. It is a systematic pattern of behavior where one partner prevents the other from working, studying, or accessing their own funds. As a result, every expense must be justified, stripping away autonomy. It is a pervasive form of harm, often normalized and disguised as protection or financial support, that turns independence into a source of guilt. When a woman can’t leave a relationship because she has no home, no work, and no savings of her own, it’s not love—it’s captivity.

“Economic violence is invisible, but its impact is devastating,” says Sabina Belli, CEO of Pomellato. “When a woman loses her financial freedom, she also loses the power to choose her own life. Financial independence is human dignity. It’s the foundation of true freedom.”

According to research commissioned by Pomellato and conducted by the SDA Bocconi School of Management, 70 percent of women reported having experienced or witnessed episodes of discrimination or abuse. This underscores just how deeply rooted this form of violence remains. It manifests in various ways, such as restriction, which involves limiting or monitoring access to money; sabotage, where education, work, and opportunities are obstructed; and exploitation, where a woman’s income and resources are used to reinforce a power imbalance.

Tearing down the wall of silence

Silence is one of the most formidable walls economic violence builds, and it is also the first one that must come down. The video portrays this as a collective gesture, where speaking out means dismantling the bricks of silence one by one, until change is inevitable. The campaign urges us to recognize and name behaviors that are often minimized, refusing to view them as “normal.” Jane Fonda—Academy Award-winning actress and Pomellato for Women ambassador since the campaign’s inception—is joined by an international cast reflecting the collective power of this message, with names like Kerry Washington, Michelle Monaghan, Benedetta Porcaroli, Isabella Ferrari, Amelia Gray, Sara Nuru, Angélique Gérard, and Mayu Ishikawa, supported by male ambassadors Paco León and Andy Díaz Hernández.

Their voices weave into a manifesto dismantling the mechanics of abuse, point by point. Porcaroli warns us that this is “built slowly,” Gray reminds us that “at first, it looks like caring,” and Ferrari adds an uncomfortable truth: “all too often, it starts with money.” Fonda adds that economic abuse “doesn’t leave bruises, but leaves women without choices”—a statement that serves as the campaign’s tagline.

Freedom as the right to begin again

As the narrative progresses, the conversation shifts from recognition to possibility. Washington notes that financial autonomy is about more than just money. Gérard defines it as a matter of dignity. Ishikawa speaks about the power of acting according to one’s will, and Monaghan brings the statement to a close with its ultimate goal: the right to begin again.

This isn’t just about breaking silence; it’s about reimagining the future. One in which women don’t have to choose between safety and freedom. A future where the option to leave is not a privilege, but a certainty. Talking about it is the first step toward creating concrete change, which starts not only with women, but also with men. The fight against economic abuse is not a gender war, but a path to shared prosperity and a more equal society.

*The study, commissioned by Pomellato and published on Nov. 25, 2025, was conducted in Italy with a sample of 2,500 respondents.