Sexism, sexual violence... The six points to remember from the annual report of the High Council for Equality

Ophélie Artaud 3:14 p.m., January 23, 2023

French society remains very sexist.

This is the finding of the fifth annual report on the state of sexism in France *, published on Monday by the High Council for Equality (HCE) between women and men.

Five years after the #MeToo movement, "women remain unequally treated compared to men, and they remain victims of sexist acts and remarks in significant proportions", details the report.

Sexist clichés, situations of daily sexism and violence against women persist, despite the measures put in place by the public authorities, "which are not considered up to the challenges on these issues", according to the results of the barometer.

Here are the six main takeaways.

1. The professional world remains very complicated for women

Discrimination, hard-to-access career paths, precarious jobs... Inequality between men and women persists in the workplace, according to the HCE report.

Only 20% of respondents believe that women and men are equal in the world of work.

Some courses, especially digital and scientific, are more difficult to access for women.

They are also more numerous in precarious jobs.

37% of the women surveyed also claim to have experienced sexist discrimination in their career choices.

2. Physical, sexual and psychological violence still exists in "alarming proportions"

Sexual violence, harassment, psychological influence from a spouse... 37% of French women questioned have already experienced a situation of non-consent, and 14% have already undergone an "imposed sexual act", that is to say say sexual assault or rape.

The barometer then details: 33% of the women questioned have already had sexual intercourse without wanting to, following the insistence of their partner, and 12% have already had unprotected sexual intercourse, also because of the insistence of their partner.

7% of women surveyed have also been kissed by a colleague or a stranger without their consent.

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3. Women adopt “avoidance behaviors” to avoid sexist remarks or situations

Clothing, outings, discussions... According to the barometer, nine out of ten women "anticipate sexist acts and remarks by men and adopt avoidance behaviors so as not to suffer them".

In the public space, 52% affirm that they give up dressing as they would like, and 80% of the women questioned assure that they are afraid of going home alone at night.

Similarly, 41% of them are careful not to speak too loudly.

4. Clichés about "masculinity" persist among young men 

Among men under 35, "masculinist" clichés remain very present.

For example, the HCE report details that 20% of 25-34 year olds believe that you have to brag about your sexual exploits to your friends in order to be respected in society.

In the same age group, 23% think that you have to be violent to be respected.

Less than half of men aged 15 to 34 (48%) find that the image conveyed by pornographic content about women is problematic.

The barometer also points to the fact that the majority of men questioned find it difficult to feel concerned by questions of sexism, or to engage their individual responsibility.

For example, "while 37% of women have already experienced a situation of non-consent, only 12% of men declare that they have already insisted on having sex when their partner did not want it, and 10 % that they have ever had doubts about their partner's consent," the report explains.

Even more problematic, 16% of men continue to believe that sexually assaulted women are partly responsible for the situation.

5. The measures put in place to fight against sexism are "globally perceived as ineffective"

In addition to the feeling of lack of information and confidence in public actors in the fight against sexism, "the public authorities are not considered up to the challenges on these issues", underlines the report.

Moreover, only 30% of the population questioned considers that the government is a trusted actor, and 37% trust the justice system to fight against sexist acts or remarks.

More generally, "the action of the public authorities is considered effective by barely more than a quarter (27%) of the French population".

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6. The recommendations of the High Council for Equality to fight against sexism

Faced with this observation, the HCE proposes a series of recommendations "which attack both mentalities and their deleterious effects, and which propose avenues for improvement for more efficient public authorities".

Among them, measures that apply from an early age such as "degendering toys intended for children from birth, and their marketing, through the prohibition of advertising for gendered toys" or even "guaranteeing the teaching compulsory for sexuality and affective life" at school.

On the professional level, the barometer proposes in particular to "adopt a national professional orientation plan from college to guide young girls towards scientific, technical, digital and future professions".

The regulation of sexist stereotypes and degrading images of women on digital media is also singled out, in particular through the strengthening of "the fight against the dissemination of illicit pornographic content".

The report also calls for more protection for women, in schools, in politics and in the professional world.

Without forgetting the need, according to the barometer, for "more efficient public authorities", which would go through a better reception of victims, training for all professionals who could be in contact with women victims of violence or even free medical and psychological support. for women victims of violence.

Because, between 2020 and 2021, the number of victims of domestic violence increased by 21%.

During the year 2022, 147 feminicides were also counted by the We All association.

*The report of the High Council for Equality is based on the results of the "Sexism Barometer" conducted with the Viavoice Institute, on a sample of 2,500 people aged 15 and over.