On the occasion of International Women’s Rights Day, we interviewed Anne-Sarah Moalic, doctor at the University of Caen Normandy and specialist in gender equality. It evokes for us the advances and the battles that remain to be fought in French society.
Anne-Sarah Moalic is a historian and specialist in women’s rights in France. On the occasion of International Women’s Rights Day, she returns for us to the battles won and those that remain to be fought.
Anne-Sarah Moalic : It has always existed! But for the more recent period we speak of 2nd wave feminism in the 70s with the desire of women to master their bodies. It is in this decade that we see the appearance of laws authorizing contraception and abortion. Another important point is the Marital Status Reform Act of 1965. A woman can finally open a bank account without the authorization of her husband. There is then a greater equality in the couple. Previously, there were aberrant legal texts. I can give you the example of a woman who at the time wanted to give a camera to her husband, but she needed his authorization for such an expense!
I distinguish two pillars in the advances for women’s rights which are professional equality and the fact of make discrimination illegal. Over the decades, we see that there is more room for women in business. There is also more room for them in politics, I am thinking in particular of Yvette Roudy, a (Norman) Minister for Women’s Rights during François Mitterrand’s first seven years. We can also rejoice in the rate of feminization of the National Assembly with in particular the leap that there was during the legislative elections of 2017.
This liberalization of speech with the Metoo movement can also help men. Behind a feminist advance, it is the whole of society that has benefited from this liberalization. Men have thus been able to denounce acts of incest or rape in the Church, for example.
Obviously, we can always do better, but the results are positive. The State has taken this problem head on. There has been a proliferation of texts since the years 2000/2010 to correct inequalities. Obviously we must continue to treat them at the root. There remains a wide field to explore because today many people are not shocked by these inequalities. They don’t see where the problem is. For some even, we do too much. Even if they notice a difference in treatment between women and men, it is not a problem for them. Unfortunately, we see that some sectors are still extremely feminized and often precarious. They very often reveal the issue of single-parent families. Low wages result in small pensions and here again it is very often women who suffer.
It is for parents that it is easiest to break stereotypes, in particular by offering storybooks where there are as many male as female figures. Clichés are deeply anchored and we must get out of them. There is social pressure on men from an early age, particularly on the question of virility. A little boy who wants to dance, for example, can still be made fun of because it’s not a “boy’s sport”. We better accept the idea that a girl plays football or rugby because they fought for their choices (athletes, professionals, clothes, etc.).
On the contrary, the solution is to be built together. Women should not be opposed to men as some people think. The social pressure suffered by men continues when they enter the labor market. To be a good employee, you have to be always more efficient with great availability. Assignments to masculinity that weigh on them. For example, with regard to paternity, it is a good thing that paternity leave has been extended, but the parental leave is available for both parents, yet it is still very frowned upon for a father to ask for part-time work to take care of his children. Consequently, not many of them make the leap.
Absolutely, here again everything rests on the women. The French are struggling to pass the milestone of vasectomy in particular because of this virile image that society has attached to them for centuries. For example in the Netherlands, the vasectomy rate is higher and more accepted. In France, it is still a taboo subject.
The 18/25 year olds are a generation that claims to be concerned with women’s rights and ecology, for example, but it is difficult to perceive their political commitment. This generation must be indignant, demonstrate and make concrete proposals. We see a lot of T-shirts with messages but not a lot of committed young people.
To conclude, Anne-Sarah Moalic specifies that the legal framework is there and that it is up to us to inhabit it in the personal sphere, at school, at work and in all parts of society.
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