Published on Nov 6, 2023 at 8:14 amUpdated Nov. 6, 2023 at 6:32 p.m.
Ladies, after this date, you are no longer paid. Since 11:25 a.m. this Monday, November 6, women in France have been working “for free”, according to the newsletter Les Glorieuses which fights against inequalities between the sexes. The wage gap noted by Eurostat in France between men and women was 15.4% in 2021. Converted into working days, this would be equivalent to just under thirty-nine days – or almost two months of free work , according to feminist media .
The latter calls for the establishment of three public policies: applying the principle of “equal conditionality”, i.e. conditioning access to public markets and obtaining public subsidies on respect for equal pay within its structure ; raise the salaries of jobs where women are most numerous; support equivalent parental leave for both parents.
INSEE nuance
In this battle of figures, INSEE paints a more nuanced portrait. “In the private sector, we have to keep three figures, quite different from each other, but overall consistent,” explains Vladimir Passeron, head of the employment and earned income department at the Institute of Statistics.
First there is the wage income gap of 24.4% between women and men, different from the Eurostat figure, which reflects not only differences in wages, but also in working hours. There are four times more women working part-time, whether this situation is chosen or suffered, and are also more often on fixed-term contracts, with potentially periods of slack.
“In full-time equivalent net salary, which we consider as a single unit of work, women’s salaries remain 15% lower than those of men,” explains Vladimir Passeron. This above all shows the fact that women do not occupy the same positions as men, and do not access the most remunerative positions. » Thus, only one person in five of the 1% of highest paid private sector employees is a woman.
Finally, for a comparable position and equal working time, the salary gap narrows further to reach 4.3%. But seniority in the company, level of diploma or even professional experience are not taken into account in the calculation, even though they are essential elements in defining an employee’s remuneration.
95% of secretaries are women
Thus, women suffer a triple penalty: they do not occupy the same positions within companies, are not in the most remunerative companies, nor in the most lucrative sectors. For example, 95% of secretaries are women, with relatively low salaries compared to the rest of the company.
“In France, women represent 90.4% of nurses, 87.7% of midwives and 65.7% of the teaching staff. These care and education jobs, which are highly feminized, have been crucial in recent years for France (Covid crisis) and these jobs are essential for maintaining our social cohesion,” argues Les Glorieuses.
Domestic economic violence
How can we reduce such gaps? “Measures combating part-time work, when it is forced, are a lever that can be used, as is the distribution of the best paid positions – even if it is more difficult to encourage companies to diversify their job assignments, analyzes Vladimir Passeron. This can also be done through training, but the aim here is to influence over the long term. »
However, paying women correctly would protect them from domestic economic violence, according to a study conducted by Les Glorieuses with Ifop. Control of resources, invisibility of financial management, refusal to share upon separation… more than four out of 10 women will be victims of it during their lives.And, according to this survey, women are twice as likely to be victims if their remuneration is much lower than that of their partner.