They evoke "a double penalty": at work, lesbian women are reluctant to come out.
Whatever the professional sector in which they evolve, or their position in the hierarchy, they fear inappropriate remarks, incomprehension or quite simply discrimination.
“It goes through a little remark or a look.
It doesn't seem like much, but it's a small stone that adds to my “backpack”, ”says AFP Aurore Foursy, 39, an executive in an agri-food company.
"It's a bit of a double jeopardy.
If in addition to sexism, we live with a woman, we are more marginalized”.
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If 80% of lesbians say they have confided in being homosexual to a handful of colleagues, they are less than a third to have mentioned it in front of their hierarchical superiors, according to the results of an Ifop survey carried out among 1,400 people for the association L'Autre Cercle, which fights against discrimination at work against LGBT people.
Among those who have never spoken at work about their life as a couple with a woman, four out of ten say they have "invented" a heterosexual life for conversations between colleagues, for example by changing the first name of their partner to a first name. male.
Aurore Foursy, she “tries to talk about it from the start” of a new position.
In order to "not be stuck" because "it's hard to get out of it afterwards".
More than half of lesbians who have not hidden their homosexuality declare, according to the survey for L'Autre Cercle, to have been the victim of at least one form of discrimination or aggression because of their sexual orientation.
A higher proportion in traditionally male sectors, such as transport or industry.
Self-censorship, efforts to hide and/or fear of discrimination weigh on the morale and health of lesbians, whether or not they have come out in their professional life, notes the association.
"Leapfrog"
And it doesn't help "invisible" lesbians to talk about their life as a couple or family in the office, as is often the custom for their straight colleagues.
Many would like to talk about it, but do not dare for fear of the consequences.
“The hierarchy and gender differentiations remain strong.
It's not easy to say out loud that you're a lesbian in a professional environment,” says Anaïs, 26, who does not wish to give her surname.
“We reproduce the patterns, the clichés around the hetero standard, without questioning ourselves”, regrets this employee of a large public company.
Hierarchy and gender differentiations remain strong
Anais, 26 years old
Relatively new to her company, she has yet to discuss her love life with her young colleagues.
But she puts her water bottle in the colors of the LGBT flag on her desk.
“LGBT visibility is important to get things moving,” she says, hoping to soon have the courage to take the plunge with the colleagues she values the most.
The solution to help lesbians be themselves at work?
"The visibility of LGBT colleagues and the exemplary nature of the company, which guarantees a favorable working environment", according to Sylvie Meisel, 63 years old.
Until she was 45, she never dared to say anything about her affective and family life at work.
“It was real self-censorship.
Everyone was talking about their weekend, and I was leaving or dodging all questions, "
At work, women leaders already face sexism, she notes.
If we add the fact of being a lesbian, "it's double discrimination".
When she changed employers at 45, her colleagues were women who did not try to hide their homosexuality.
"It became easy to talk about it."
She then realized "the psychological weight" caused by the silence she had imposed on herself for more than 20 years.
