Women's unemployment and employment are the issues that Pope Francis placed at the center of his message to the participants of the Festival of the Family, which was held in Riva del Garda on December 5th. "The drama of unemployment, especially among the young, should be reconsidered and solved. The lack of work demeans the person, who feels useless in his/her own eyes, and impoverishes society, because it is deprived of the contribution of valid and willing forces. Especially—the Pope continued—"attention must be paid to women's employment. Many women feel the need to have their rights better recognized, in accordance with the value of the tasks they regularly perform in different sectors of social and professional life, as well as with respect to their aspirations in the family and society." If "some of them are tired and almost crushed by the weight of their commitments and duties, without finding sufficient understanding and help," we must ensure that "women are not forced, for economic reasons, to do work that is too hard and with an excessively heavy schedule, in addition to all their responsibilities running the household and educating the children. However, above all—the Pope adds—we must consider that a woman's commitments, at all levels of family life, also constitute an unparalleled contribution to society's life and future."