Seulement 1 cadre sur 4 est une femme

Only 1 executive out of 4 is a woman

Challenges.fr 05/03/07


Inequalities between men and women are still strong on the job market. And executives are also concerned. In 2002, only 1 executive job out of 4 was given to a woman with a salary lower by 20%. These figures are revealed in a study published today by the DARES (Labour Ministry).

Some of these inequalities can be explained by the familial situation.

Wages lower by 20%

Five years ago in companies of 10+ employees :
- 15% of women were executives
- 23% of men were executives
- The probability for a woman to become executive was 26% under than for a man.
- Even with an equivalent diploma, women still had less chances and a lower salaries.

The reasons:
- less working experience
- less seniority in the company

To be or not to be a mother

Differences between men and women from diploma and professional experience can explain a small part of the inequalities.
But it’s the familial situation of employees that can explain a main part of the inequalities.
In that way, the study shows that women spend a lot of time educating their children and cleaning the house while they’re working.
15% of executives women live alone without children against 10% of men.
A woman living in couple, with or without children, has a probability 29% under than a man to become executive.

Discriminations at the time of recruitment or as regards as promotions

“The variations remaining, independently of the family loads, can partly result from discriminatory practices at the time of recruitment or as regards as promotions, which the data of the study of the wages structure do not make it possible to evaluate”, Dares underlines.
The women in couple suffer the consequences of the two effects:
- mothers “have weaker real experience since they stopped their career due to maternity”,
- and women “in couple have a less great availability in their job”, notes Dares. On the other hand, men in couple touch wages higher than single people. “The life in couple could increase the availability of executives men in their job, their wife then devoting more time to educate the children and with the domestic tasks”, Dares notes.

Source: study published by the DARES, March the 5th 2007.