Sexism, "masculinist reflexes" among young men ... Despite the #MeToo surge, the page is far from being turned in France, according to the conclusions of a report released Monday, January 23 by the High Council for Equality ( HCE).

The president of the HCE, Sylvie Pierre-Brossolette, must be received on Wednesday by President Emmanuel Macron, on the occasion of the Day against sexism.

The independent advisory body, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary, will take part in an awareness campaign this week and will open a "trial against sexism" on Wednesday, organized by the collective Together against sexism, which will be closed by the Minister responsible for Gender equality, Isabelle Rome.

"Sexism is not receding in France. On the contrary, some of its most violent manifestations are getting worse and the younger generations are the most affected", writes the HCE, which notes that "five years after #MeToo", the "society French remains sexist in all spheres": public, private, professional, political, media...

>> To read also: "Sexist and sexual violence in politics: 'Relève féministe' no longer wants to let anything pass"

Men struggle "to feel concerned"

"Public opinion recognizes and deplores the existence of sexism but does not reject it in practice, mainly among men", according to the report, which is based on official figures and on a barometer carried out by the ViaVoice institute with 2,500 representative people.

80% of women say they have felt they have been treated less well because of their gender in their lifetime.

14% say they have already undergone "an imposed sexual act" and, more broadly, 37% say they have experienced non-consensual situations in sexual intercourse, including unprotected intercourse at the insistence of their partner (12%), without consent under the influence of alcohol or drugs (7%).

Sexism leads to daily renunciations, for nine out of ten women questioned: half give up going out or doing activities alone or dressing as they wish.

Eight out of ten are afraid to go home alone at night.

Men, for their part, struggle "to feel concerned", do not feel personally responsible for sexist behavior, even, for a quarter of them, think that we "do too much about sexual assault".

If men over 65 are more "conservative", attached to strict gender roles, the HCE also observes "masculinist clichés" among those under 35: a quarter believes that it is sometimes necessary to be violent to be respect.

The image of women conveyed by pornography is considered problematic by half of them, compared to 79% of those aged 65 and over.

The HCE is concerned about a "backlash phenomenon at work everywhere", with "masculinist raids" on social networks "to silence women or discredit them".

Overall, the HCE warns against a "situation which is worsening with the appearance of new phenomena: online violence, increased virulence on social networks, barbarity in very many productions of the pornographic industry, affirmation of a masculinist and anti-feminist sphere".

Educate and regulate the digital

The public authorities "are not considered up to the stakes on these issues", notes the institution.

"Ordinary sexism paves the way for violent sexism. To fight against it, we must take measures that influence mentalities from an early age: a massive educational action, regulating digital technology", declares Sylvie Pierre-Brossolette at the AFP.

Among the "key measures" identified by the HCE, the "regulation of content in the digital sector to combat stereotypes, degrading representations and scenes of violence now commonplace on the Internet, in particular in pornographic videos".

The institution also proposes the creation of a "High independent authority to fight against gender-based violence in politics", after the scandals which shook the parties last year.

It recommends strengthening the "financial and human resources of justice for courts responsible for dealing with domestic violence, like the Spanish investment".

The government has entrusted Parliament with a mission on such specialized courts.

To change mentalities, the HCE recommends banning advertising for gendered toys and conditioning the payment of public money to a consideration in terms of equality, for example with regard to training, for companies.

With AFP

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