Large and deep progress remains to be made to educate future generations about gender-based violence. Even if #MeToo has been there, “masculinist reflexes” are tough among young men, according to a report released on Monday by the High Council for Equality, which asks in particular to “regulate digital content”. The president of the HCE, Sylvie Pierre-Brossolette, must be received by President Emmanuel Macron, Wednesday, on the occasion of the Day against sexism.
“Sexism is not declining in France. On the contrary, some of its most violent manifestations are getting worse and the younger generations are the most affected”, writes the HCE, which notes that “five years after #MeToo”, “French society remains sexist in all spheres”: public , private, professional, media… “Public opinion recognizes and deplores the existence of sexism but does not reject it in practice, mainly among men”, according to the report which is based on official figures and on a barometer produced by the ViaVoice institute with 2,500 representative people.
One in three women has already experienced a non-consensual situation during sexual intercourse
Four out of five women say they feel they have been treated less well because of their gender during their lifetime, 14% say they have already had “an imposed sexual act”, and more broadly 37% say they have experienced non-consensual situations in sexual intercourse, including unprotected intercourse at the insistence of their partner (12%), non-consensual under the influence of alcohol or drugs (7%).
Sexism leads to daily renunciations, for nine out of ten women questioned: half give up going out or doing activities alone or dressing as they wish. Eight out of ten are afraid to go home alone at night.
“Masculinist Raids”
The men, for their part, struggle “to feel concerned”, do not feel personally responsible for sexist behavior, even for a quarter of them, think that we “do too much about sexual assault”. If men over 65 are more “conservative”, attached to strict gender roles, the HCE also observes “masculinist clichés” among those under 35: a quarter believes that it is sometimes necessary to be violent to be respect. The image of women conveyed by pornography is considered problematic by half of them compared to 79% of those aged 65 and over. The HCE is concerned about a “backlash phenomenon at work everywhere”, with “masculinist raids” on social networks “to silence women or discredit them”.
Overall, the HCE warns against a “situation which is getting worse with the appearance of new phenomena: online violence, increased virulence on social networks, barbarism in very many productions of the pornographic industry, affirmation of a masculinist and anti-feminist sphere”. The public authorities “are not considered up to the challenges on these issues”, notes the institution. “Ordinary sexism breeds violent sexism. To fight against it, we must take measures that influence mentalities from an early age: a massive educational action, regulating digital technology, ”declares Sylvie Pierre-Brossolette to AFP.
What solutions?
Among the “key measures” identified by the HCE, the “regulation of content in the digital sector to combat stereotypes, degrading representations and scenes of violence now commonplace on the Internet, in particular in pornographic videos”. The institution also proposes the creation of an “independent High Authority to fight against gender-based violence in politics”, after the scandals that shook the parties last year.
It recommends strengthening the “financial and human resources of justice for courts responsible for dealing with domestic violence, like the Spanish investment”. The government has entrusted Parliament with a mission on such specialized courts. To change mentalities, the HCE recommends prohibiting advertising for gendered toys and conditioning the payment of public money to a counterpart in terms of equality, for example in terms of training, for companies.