Raising awareness about sexism in the workplace

“The higher you go up the social ladder, the fewer women there are”

Wangari Maathai (Nobel Peace Prize, 2004)

90% of employed women consider it easier to “make a career” for a man when 51% feel that they have already encountered a professional obstacle because of their gender (not increased, promoted, appointed for a rewarding task, hired, etc.) according to the study conducted in 2014 by the Higher Council for Professional Equality between Women and Men.

To fight against the scourge of sexism in the workplace, the first step is to raise awareness about this complex and multifaceted concept.

Sexism awareness: what does the concept of sexism include?

Sexism includes both beliefs and behaviors that tend to stigmatize, delegitimize, or inferiorize women because of their gender. A distinction is made between:

‍Ordinary sexism : it is defined as all attitudes, words and behaviors based on gender stereotypes. It occurs on a daily basis, through sexist jokes and comments, negative stereotypes, disrespect, and exclusionary practices.

‍Sexist action : it is defined according to the law of 17 August 2015 on social dialogue and employment, as “any act related to a person's sex, the object or effect of which is to undermine dignity or to create an intimidating, hostile, hostile, degrading, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment” (article L1142-1 of the Labour Code). In certain situations, it can lead to a change in the behavior of employees, have an impact on their confidence in themselves and in the company, lead to isolation or to the refusal of new responsibilities...

Raising awareness about sexism: how to act against these excesses?

The prohibition of sexist acts has been introduced in the Labour Code. Businesses must therefore recall this prohibition in their internal regulations. The CHSCT (The Health, Safety and Working Conditions Committee) must also propose preventive actions on sexist acts. To advance equality, 3 proposals were suggested by the Ministry of Families, Children and Women's Rights:

• Clearly define prohibited acts (sexist remarks and jokes, incivility, contempt, emails, SMS, sexist displays, etc.)
• Raise awareness about the issue of sexism among all persons belonging to the company (training modules, dedicated days, corporate theater, MOOC, etc.)
• Take care of victims and deal with situations of sexism (establishment of a support system, immediate action in the event of an employee's wrongful behavior, etc.)

Wouldn't it be time to move from raising awareness about sexism to that of “Zero tolerance” ?

Ministry of Families, Children and Women's Rights (2016). Taking action against sexism in the workplace: Results of the latest CSEP/BVA survey