Gender inequality at work: what are we talking about?
Sexual and gender-based violence, harassment, unequal pay, lack of representation, insecurity... The list of inequalities facing women is long. And the world of work is not exempt.
Understanding the gender pay gap
The first and perhaps most tangible inequality is the wage gap between men and women. In France, although women are, on average, more highly educated than men (53% vs. 46%), their salaries are on average 15.8% lower (vs. 13% in the rest of Europe). Every year, the Les Glorieuses newsletter highlights this inequality with an awareness-raising campaign that determines when women start working for "free". To give you an idea, in 2022, women have been working for free since November 04 at 9.10am. To find out all about the calculation and method used, visit their dedicated website.
👉 See also our article on disability in the workplace
These considerable wage inequalities can be explained by several phenomena:
- Part-time work, parental leave and domestic work
Whether part-time work is chosen or forced, the observation is the same: women are 3 times more affected than men by this type of contract. The term "chosen part-time" is used for employees who wish to work less for personal reasons, and "forced part-time" for those who would like to work full-time but are unable to do so because of their job. The majority of parental and domestic responsibilities still fall to women, which partly explains why women are more inclined to work part-time. Also, 19% of mothers in couples no longer work at all, compared with just 4% of fathers (source: OXFAM and INSEE).
- Unvalued domestic work is also problematic
French women spend an average of 1h26 a day more on domestic chores than men (source: observatoire des inégalités). This means that women perform around 10 hours more domestic work per week than men: substantial, unpaid work that adds to the long list of gender inequalities.
- The glass ceiling
Although the proportion of women executives has doubled in 40 years, they still represent only 43% of all executives in France. What's more, it's still more difficult for women than men to obtain executive or management positions, even when their skills are equal. In France, 35% of women executives are managers, compared with 43% of men. In addition, women manage smaller teams of lesser stature. Finally, women are less represented on boards of directors, 70% of whom are men (source: courrier international).
🔎 Discover also the episode of our engaged show: Time To Act: Women & Leadership in the workplace, how to act?
This episode looks at the place of women in the world of work, and deciphers persistent inequalities within decision-making spheres and in access to leadership positions. Emmanuel Bentejac, CEO of wenabi, welcomes Eva Sadoun (Founder & President of LITA.co, co-President of Mouvement Impact France), Emmanuelle Larroque (Founder & President ofnonprofit Social Builder) and Karine Aubry (Chief People Officer at Dailymotion).
Sexism in the workplace
Wage gaps, part-time work and the glass ceiling show that sexism in the workplace has a hard skin.
And it doesn't stop there: according to the #StOpE collective (stop ordinary sexism in the workplace), 8 out of 10 women have already been confronted with sexist remarks at work. In response to this, the collective has created a StOpE initiative booklet highlighting all the good practices against sexism in the workplace. 8 priority actions have been selected, ranging from preventive measures and targeted training for employees to follow-up measures and indicators for the company. Signatory companies and organizations undertake to implement one action per year.
Read also:
- 10 ideas for corporate causes: find yours!
- Pride Month: mobilizing your company for the inclusion of the LGBTQIA+ community
- Corporate Christmas: 6 concrete actions!
4 ways to promote gender equality in the workplace with associations
Faced with these facts, many associations are working to promote gender equality in the workplace. And to make their actions as viral and impactful as possible, they rely on the support of committed volunteers.Discover 4 associations and multiple ways for you, in turn, to commit to gender equality in the world of work:
Help girls from disadvantaged neighborhoods realize their potential with Rêvelles
nonprofit Rêv'elles was born of a striking observation: there are many shortcomings in the guidance of young girls living in disadvantaged neighborhoods (a lack of self-esteem, self-censorship, difficulties in identifying their strengths and expressing their dreams, a lack of role models...). Today,nonprofit, with the help of numerous volunteers, helps young girls from disadvantaged neighborhoods to realize their dreams and achieve their full potential.
👉 The missions withinnonprofit are varied and adapted to your profile and availability:
- Helping young girls discover the world of business,
- Introduce them to your educational and professional background,
- Introduce them to corporate know-how and codes,
- Help them find an internship or work-study program...
Visitnonprofit to find out more and get involved!
Promote employment for women over 45 with ForceFemmes
L'nonprofit Force Femmes supports unemployed women over 45 in building their career plans throughout France.
👉 As a ForceFemmes volunteer, depending on your skills and availability, you can :
- Individual support for women returning to work to boost their confidence, identify their skills and work on their career plans...;
- Run CV and motivation coaching workshops for women seeking employment;
- or run computer and office automation workshops.
To find out more aboutnonprofit and how to join us, visit their website.
Contribute to gender diversity and equality in the digital professions with Social Builder
Social Builder is a nonprofit expert in gender diversity and equality in the digital and entrepreneurial professions. Social Builder provides support and training for women, networks and companies.
👉 Withnonprofit Social Builder, you can, depending on your profile and availability :
- Supporting and mentoring women in their career transition and ensuring the success of their professional project in the digital sector
- Become a mentor for future women entrepreneurs
- Conduct one-on-one expert interviews to help women develop their skills in your areas of expertise: CVs, cover letters, interviews, etc.
Visitnonprofit to find out more!
Make a donation to the Women's Foundation
Created in 2016, the Women's Foundation is :
- France's leading organization for women's rights and freedom and against violence against women;
- The aim of the foundation? To provide financial, legal and material support for associative projects with a local impact;
- The foundation operates thanks to the support of its donors and patrons;
- Over the past 6 years, the foundation has supported more than 600 associative projects, helping hundreds of thousands of women who are victims of violence or in precarious situations.
👉 Want to find out more about the projects supported by the foundation and perhaps make a donation? Go here!
We've introduced you to 4 associations you can support to promote women's rights. There are many more.
Contact our team to discuss your ideas!
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