Discrimination at work affects more than one in three young people

More than one in three young people aged 18 to 34 (37%) say they have experienced discrimination or discriminatory harassment in the course of their job search or career. Here is the worrying toll
an investigation by the Defender of Rights and the International Labor Organization (ILO) published Tuesday.

By comparison, 23% of working people in mainland France declared having been victims of discrimination or discriminatory harassment in employment in 2020. Young people are both “overexposed” to discrimination and more aware of it, so analyze the authors. Almost one in five young people (18%) say they have been confronted with it several times.

Young people “more aware of the extent of discrimination in France”

The most cited criteria of discrimination are sex (27% of young people who declared discrimination or discriminatory harassment), age (23%), physical appearance (22%) and origin (16%). Around 60% also state that they have been confronted with stigmatizing remarks or discriminatory requests during an interview for a position or a promotion, and 40% have already experienced these two types of situation.

In general, the young people questioned “consider that discrimination is a massive phenomenon in French society and seem more aware of the extent of discrimination in France, compared to the entire working population”, according to the authors of the report. ‘study.

Low income worsens the discriminatory phenomenon: 43% of people earning less than 1,300 euros per month say they have been victims, against 35% for those receiving more than 1,800 euros per month. The type of contract also plays a major role, with temporary workers saying that they are twice as discriminated against (58%) as young people on permanent contracts (30%).

“Deleterious consequences”

The authors point to a “too little recourse to their rights” by victims of discrimination. “More than four in 10 young people did not say anything following the facts, and mainly women. »The others first alerted management or management, or unions and staff representatives.

“The repeated experience of discrimination has deleterious and lasting consequences on individual careers, undermines the cohesion of French society and the confidence of our youth in the promise of equality. This is one of the major work axes of my mandate, ”commented Claire Hédon, the Defender of Rights in a press release.

The 39 28 to help the victims

In February, the latter launched the antidiscriminations.fr platform, dedicated to victims of discrimination, accompanied by a telephone number 39 28, and an online chat module.

It recommends that public and private employers take up the subject by “implementing a phase of diagnosis and investigation within the organization”, by developing “actions to prevent and fight against discrimination” and “Questioning all the decision-making processes and criteria in terms of human resources while informing and sensitizing all staff to non-discrimination”.

The survey supported by numerous testimonies is the 14th edition of an annual barometer intended to measure the perception of discrimination in employment. It was conducted online by the Ipsos institute from July 7 to 26, 2021 with a representative panel of 3,201 active people aged 18 to 34.


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