More than 60 French start-ups have pledged to increase the number of women on their boards of directors.

The “Parity Pact” was initiated in early 2022 by the French Tech mission attached to Bercy, according to a press release published on Tuesday.

The initiative was joined by 69 start-ups, including just over half of the Next40 label, which brings together the 40 young companies deemed the most promising.

The signatories, including the “unicorns” Blablacar, Contentsquare, Doctolib or Mirakl, undertake to reach a minimum threshold of 20% women on the board of directors by 2025, and to raise this threshold to 40% in 2028 .

Many all-male boards

They will also have to “train their managers on the challenges of diversity and the fight against discrimination and harassment”, write their job descriptions in an inclusive manner or appoint female spokespersons.

“There are only seven women leaders” in the 120 companies labeled by the French Tech mission, “and zero in the Next40”, regrets Clara Chappaz, director of the French Tech mission.

“In all, 14 if we take into account the co-founders.

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Some signatories such as Ynsect (proteins and natural fertilizers) or Alan (health insurance) make an exception by having appointed several independent directors.

But "the vast majority of entrepreneurs" who participated in the reflection workshops on parity admitted to having an exclusively male board of directors, according to the director.

Tackling the glass ceiling

The lack of representation of women in the digital ecosystem is a known problem.

The sector has already made several commitments, in particular to facilitate the financing of start-ups founded or co-founded by women.

The objective of the Parity Pact is to copy the Copé-Zimmermann law (2011), which imposes the presence of 40% of women on the boards of directors of large companies.

The glass ceiling is however likely to remain to access the management committees, concedes Clara Chappaz.

“We cannot be satisfied with a digital system only thought out and governed by men, insist Henri d'Agrain and Peggy Vicompte, of the Femmes@Numérique initiative.

The main problem facing France is that of accelerating the defeminization of technical digital professions.

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