The awards ceremony of the photo contest “Professional Equality and Gender Diversity at Work,” in which employees from 16 companies in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region participated: Adecco, Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur, Albax, Ambassade de Bretagne, AREVA, Caisse d’Epargne Côte d’Azur, Convers Télémarketing, EDF, ERDF, ORANGE, Manpower, SAP, SNCF, Véolia Eau, WIT, was an opportunity to revisit this “hot” topic.
Despite legal obligations imposed on companies for over 40 years, despite the implementation of quotas in boards of directors, and despite formalized policies in favor of professional equality, agreements, and action plans, women still experience wage gaps, struggle to access high-responsibility positions, and are underrepresented in company leadership bodies.
Stereotypes play a central role in discrimination phenomena and self-censorship.
For instance, a recruiter who believes a woman will not be available due to her family constraints will prefer a candidate who seems more flexible.
Moreover, a woman aware of being targeted by stereotypes may not aspire to a position of responsibility or a so-called ‘masculine’ job for fear of not being up to the task. It is therefore essential for everyone to become aware of these stereotypes in order to deconstruct them and change mentalities and practices.
The photo contest, which allows employees to address the subject, follows the study “Gender Stereotypes: Understanding and Acting in the Company” conducted by the IMS in 2012.
