Sexism persists among young people. “The situation is alarming,” says the High Council for Equality

Sexism is not decreasing in French society. Despite the awareness raised by the Me Too movement, despite “undeniable progress in women’s rights”, sexism persists in France, especially among young men with “masculinity reflexes”. The situation is “alarming”, laments the report published by the Supreme Council of Equality on Monday, January 23. This is based on a survey of 2,500 people conducted by the ViaVoice Institute.

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The key is digital tuning

The body’s report specifically calls for “regulating digital content”. “to combat the stereotypes, degrading representations and scenes of violence that are now commonplace on the Internet, particularly in pornographic videos.”

HCE President Sylvie Pierre-Brossolet is to be received by President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, January 25, on the occasion of the Day Against Sexism. The independent advisory body, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary, will this week take part in an awareness campaign and launch a ‘Together Against Sexism’ organized by the Litigation Against Sexism collective, which will be closed by the responsible minister. Equality between men and women, Isabel Rom.

Increasing violence, lack of consent

“Sexism is not decreasing in France. On the contrary, some of its most violent manifestations are getting worse and the younger generations suffer the most,” writes the SIS, which notes that “even five years after me,” “French society remains sexist in all areas,” private, professional, media…

In general, the HCE warns against “a situation that worsens with the emergence of new phenomena; online violence, increasing virtuality in social networks, barbarism in many productions of the porn industry, confirmation of a masculine and anti-feminist sphere”.

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Report of the High Council for Equality

Almost 40% of women experienced non-consensual situations

80% of women say they have been treated less favorably in their lifetime because of their gender. 37% say they have had non-consensual situations, including unprotected sex at the insistence of a partner (12%), not consenting under the influence of alcohol or drugs (7%).

Men struggle with relationships

“Public opinion recognizes and deplores the existence of sexism, but does not reject it in practice, mainly among men,” said the report, based on official figures and the ViaVoice Institute barometer.

The men around them struggle to “concern”, feel no personal responsibility for sexist behaviour, even a quarter of them believe we are “doing too much about sexual harassment”.

Consequence: daily waivers

Sexism leads to daily rejections, according to 9 out of 10 women interviewed. half refuse to go out alone or do activities or dress the way they want. 8 out of 10 are afraid to go home alone at night.

If men over 65 are more “conservative” regarding strict gender roles, HCE also observes “masculine clichés” among under-35s; a quarter believe that violence is sometimes necessary for respect. Half of them find the portrayal of women in pornography problematic, compared to 79% of those 65 and older.

HRC is concerned about the “phenomenon opposition everywhere in the workplace,” with “masculine attacks” on social media to “silence or discredit women.”

Suggestions:

In addition to the regulation of the digital system and actions in the field of education, the institution proposes to create an “independent higher body to combat gender-based violence in politics” after the scandals that rocked the parties last year. To change the mindset, the SC suggests banning the advertising of gendered toys and making the payment of public funds conditional on equality, such as training, for companies.

It proposes to strengthen “the financial and human resources of justice for the courts responsible for combating domestic violence, such as the Spanish investment”. The government entrusted the mission of such specialized courts to the parliament.

Uninformed population

However, the French generally trust doctors and professional associations more than the government to prevent and combat sexism. And there’s still a long way to go, in a country where 15% of the population “don’t really see what Me Too is” and 14% have never even heard of it.

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