The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Women's Forum in Paris: How female successful models break stereotypes

2021-11-19T17:39:46.962Z


At the Carrousel du Louvre, the Women's Forum gives a voice to inspiring women on the planet and trivializes the role of leader. True models of success who aim to give ambition to young girls.


You have to see it to believe it, but they still have to exist.

At COP 26, only 12 women were among the 128 heads of state or government gathered in Glasgow.

The Women's Forum, nicknamed the Women's Davos, closes at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris this Friday, November 19.

Created in 2005, the international event gives a voice to women leaders on the planet, true models of female success.

To read also Elisabeth Moreno: "If we do not force fate, we will never accelerate the process" of equality in the company

"

I could never become like him, I'm a girl,

" Mila, 6, immediately replies when her mother asks her if she is considering becoming an astronaut after seeing a report on astronaut Thomas Pesquet.

A pivotal moment for Audrey Tcherkoff who seals her commitment to the cause of women by succeeding Chiara Corazza as General Director of the Women's Forum.

In 2021, 70% of women think "

that it is more difficult for a woman than for a man to succeed in her career because she must accept to sacrifice part of her family life

", according to a barometer carried out by the Women's Forum with nationals of G7 countries.

"

If she was successful, why not me?"

"

Striving for an ideal requires above all to know that it is possible. Interviewed by

Le Figaro

, Audrey Tcherkoff explains the impact that models of success can have on the professional trajectory of young girls. “

When you see a woman who takes the head of the CAC40, the direction of a ministry or the head of a country, it makes you dream and you say to yourself: if she has succeeded, why not me?

"

The family will be one of the engines of the professional success of the Executive Director. For Audrey Tcherkoff, her first source of inspiration was her mother, a woman who, by working a lot, instilled in her strong work values: “

she always gave me the feeling that I could do anything, no matter what the dream. at the moment, she gave me the feeling that it was possible

”. Wings that encouraged him to fly to the Middle East to develop his professional career as CEO of the great pearl trader, Robert Wan. "

I always had this feeling that I could try anything on the other side of the world because no matter what, I could always come back to where I came from

."A feminine strength that taught her not to be afraid of failure: "

There were moments of giving up, but today I don't regret anything,

”she breathes.

Read alsoMartine Liautaud: "Leaders must help women progress"

Feeling supported by loved ones is just as important as being exposed to success. At the Carrousel du Louvre, businesswoman Diane Von Fürstenberg stressed the importance of bringing together "

extraordinary

"

women

who have the leadership to inspire other women during her speech on Friday morning. Indeed, our behaviors come from models embodied by individuals. "

We all need models, it is fundamental to have the capacity to project oneself to certain positions

", affirms Marlène Coulomb-Gully, professor at the University of Toulouse 2 and author of

Women in politics: to put an end to the supporting roles

.

According to her, seeing women at the highest level of the hierarchy makes it possible to trivialize the function of leader and make it more accessible.

More ambition from an early age

Gender inequalities persist because of deeply rooted stereotypes in society.

By exercising a position of responsibility, women derogate from the role which is traditionally assigned to them.

Because even today, ambition and the ability to lead are skills generally attributed to men, explains Christine Detrez, sociologist at ENS Lyon, contacted by

Le Figaro

.

She likens the journey to a leadership position to a staircase with higher steps for women than for men.

Each walk confronts a girl with a potential stereotype

”.

Read also United Kingdom: the stars of the London Stock Exchange, dunces of equal pay

The highlighting of inspiring women's careers shows that a high professional rise is really possible. These models of success break traditional representations by having a real effect on the possible identification of little girls, a fundamental process in the construction of their identity and which influences their motivation. Having female role models "

generates more self-confidence in girls who value themselves, place less limits on learning and have more ambition from an early age,

" says psychologist Virginie Bouchon. But in order for these models to be real levers for achieving gender equality, these models must nevertheless be diverse and abundant: "

the challenge is not to give the impression that these successful women are exceptional figures

”and to show that“

it is not a woman but many successful women

”, qualifies the sociologist.

Indispensable but insufficient

Conversely, the absence of successful models keeps women away from certain disciplines. In France, only 26% of engineers are women, according to a report published by Unesco in 2021. "

If women are absent from these functions, it is more difficult for them to project themselves there

". Indeed, lacking a model of success, they are less likely to engage in so-called masculine studies and careers, such as science. It is a vicious circle which sets in motion. A phenomenon weakening the representation of women in these sectors, at the origin of the problem of female talent pool faced by companies which implement joint policies, according to Audrey Tcherkoff.

The three women agree that while being essential, role models are far from sufficient.

A woman's trajectory is not based solely on her personal will

,” warns Christine Détrez.

For Mila to become an astronaut, it will not only be enough for her to want it, it will also have to be successful in overcoming all the other obstacles that will stand in her way.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2021-11-19

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.