This is one of the great causes of Emmanuel Macron's five-year term.
The fight against inequalities between women and men in business has progressed with the Professional Future law of September 2018 establishing the professional equality index.
According to an analysis by Terra Nova published on Thursday, this index, which requires companies to publish their progress in this area annually, is a "
promising
" but "
perfectible
"
tool
.
Read also: March 8: economic inequalities between men and women in four points
This 100-point index is calculated using five indicators: the gender pay gap (40 points), the difference in the distribution of individual increases (20 points), the difference in the distribution of promotions (only in companies with more than 250 employees, 15 points), the number of female employees increased on their return from maternity leave (15 points) and finally parity among the 10 highest paid (10 points).
Each year, before March 1, companies must calculate and publish their index on their website.
This obligation concerns companies with at least 1,000 employees since March 1, 2019, those with at least 250 employees since September 1 of the same year and those with at least 50 employees since March 1, 2020. In the event of a score less than 75 points, companies must take corrective measures to improve their results within 3 years or face financial penalties of up to 1% of the annual payroll.
An
"illusion of equality"
The 2020 edition of this index revealed that the average score was 87 for companies with more than 1,000 employees (compared to 83 in 2019), 85 for those with 250 to 1,000 (compared to 82 in 2019) and 83 for companies with more than 1,000 employees. 50 to 250 employees, "
thus showing that small businesses are no less unequal
", underlines the Ministry of Labor.
For the left-wing think tank, "
the establishment of such a device is to be welcomed: it formalizes the transition from an obligation of means to an obligation of results and it has given rise to a real dynamic of improvement within companies. , anxious to improve or defend their reputation
”.
Read also: Gender equality: nearly 17,000 companies have not completed the index, according to Élisabeth Borne
However, these scores give an “
illusion of equality
”.
"
Is a satisfactory overall score a guarantee of exemplarity?"
», Asks Kenza Tahri, the author of the note.
And remember that at equal position, women still earn 9% less on average than men.
All positions combined, the gap climbs to 18.5%.
According to her, the index does not go into enough detail.
However, "it
is precisely in what the index excludes from the calculation to make the sizes comparable that a large part of gender inequalities is lodged
", she believes.
Take into account low wages
Terra Nova therefore recommends taking into account the share of women in the lowest salaries in order to better reflect the situation of all women in the company.
Indeed, the current prism of the index is that of a “
glass ceiling
” for women and a desire to promote their access to more remunerative positions.
However, many highly feminized professions do not go "
in the direction of development and promotion
" and are therefore "
incompatible with the criteria which are those of the index in its current version
".
The index must be improved by adding an indicator to calculate the share of women "
in the first two deciles of the company's wage distribution
," writes Terra Nova.
This indicator would be rated out of 15 points and would replace the indicator on increases upon return from maternity leave which "
rewards compliance with a legal obligation in force since 2006
".
A scale would be established to award points according to a sectoral approach taking into account the specificities of the company (feminized sector or not).
Read also: The gender pay gap related to working time and diploma
Terra Nova also recommends adding a bonus (scored out of 10 points) for companies in which the average number of part-time women is significantly lower than the sector average.
Indeed, "
in many feminized trades there are imposed part-time jobs (caregivers, household help, cashiers, executive secretaries)
", notes Terra Nova.
Adding a bonus in the calculation of the index "would
make it possible to start thinking about the upgrading of feminized professions
".
Towards corporate quotas
Rather than modifying the index, Bruno Le Maire recently put back on the table the idea of quotas in companies to advance the cause of women.
According to him, it is necessary "to
be able to move up a gear
", especially in accessing positions of responsibility.
According to the latest results of the ranking of the feminization of the 120 largest French companies, only 11 women are general managers or board chairs and 7 women board chairs.
Read also: Fifty bosses committed to "breaking the glass ceiling" for women
The quota system will have to "
take into account very different starting points
" in terms of parity between economic sectors, said Bruno Le Maire, taking for example the metallurgy on the one hand, which has few women, and the services to person on the other.
The minister pleaded for the writing of a legislative text "
very short, very ambitious, with an extremely limited number of devices, but which really changes the situation
".
A bill, which will be supported by the ministers of Labor Élisabeth Borne, Higher Education Frédérique Vidal and Equality between women and men Elisabeth Moreno, could be tabled in the week of March 15.
The news does not delight the employers' organizations.
In a press release published in the wake of Bruno Le Maire's statements, the Medef admits the need to set up "
a mechanism aimed at promoting the place of women in the executive committees or codifying them in companies
".
But rather than a quota system, he pleads for a change in the equal pay index.
The Medef says it is "
ready to work with the government to develop a new indicator for this index
" which, according to him, "
has shown its effectiveness
".
