Today we are talking with sociologist Jean Viard about our relationship with coins. Simone Veil, Joséphine Baker, Marie Curie, these three figures of the Republic will be found on tens of millions of coins of 10, 20 and 50 euro cents, within a few months. These three women made the history of France.
franceinfo: So these three women will also make our daily lives, is that the symbolic force of the currency?
Jean Viard: Yes, the symbolic force of money is that it is something that circulates between everyone, that we give to each other, that we give to each other, that circulates within Europe. So you know that on the coins, there is one side, it is Europe, the design, and the other side, it is national. So the pieces are reversible. So there is really a movement, so, it is in the past of course, there is abortion which has been included in the Constitution. Something is happening for the place of women in our societies, I think that is what we must recognize.
These three women are obviously extraordinary because of their journey, but what’s more, they defended values that are not just feminine. She is a great scientist, she is a defender of gender equality. Finally, these are societal values carried by women, for the change in the place of women in society.
So afterwards we could have fun, knowing if it’s a 0.50 cent coin, it’s better than a gold coin, that would be a bit anecdotal, so I find that putting them on the coins, it is a deeply symbolic gesture, but one that carries weight in the battle for equality between men and women.
This is how you really see it: one more step to recognize the place of women in the history of France? A place that we have too often, not highlighted enough, not exposed enough?
They often had a role, many artists, moreover, or scientists, were somewhat duplicated, in research teams, we know this very well. We are moving towards a movement for equality. Each time, it’s only a step and you know, nothing is ever definitively acquired in women’s rights, because there is always male pressure, etc. This is why we put abortion in the Constitution, it is to try to ensure that there are no setbacks as we see in the United States. So it’s part of a path, but it’s a path that is never definitive.
It’s a fight that’s ongoing. The desire of men to dominate women is an extremely old story, so I believe that at the moment, we are marking steps, and I would say it is three small coins which are our daily life, at the bakery, even if we use money less than before, we must also recognize it, it is part of this history, and this positive history.
And in fact, we have a particular attachment to our coins. Is it hard to imagine that they will disappear one day, even if they are less and less useful?
It’s complicated because we keep telling children that they are on their cell phones too much, that we have to regulate them, and at the same time, we are going to put everything on the cell phone, including the currency to pay for bread. So, we are in a very contradictory movement.
We want to dematerialize all relationships. Aren’t we doing it too much? I often tend to think so, we are all there making telephone numbers, where no one ever answers us, where we type point 2, point 4, point 6, so at one point, indeed, we can still call ourselves Basically, keeping a little bit of coins has something real to it.
And you know, the coin is good because it allows me to sell my tomatoes, and to go buy pants, otherwise I would have to trade pants for tomatoes. And basically, money is precisely what allows a somewhat neutral exchange between two offers, with all that that entails, the bartering of discussions, etc. But at the same time, it has the advantage that it remains a transitional object, we give each other change, thank you, etc. I like money, but I’m always a little afraid of digital technology, which basically removes all human exchange.
You were just talking about everything that is dematerialized, but currency, notes, it’s also very concrete, in the digital age, it’s certainly something that can reassure people?
Yes, because you know, we would spend less money if we paid everything in cash, because there is a form of neutrality. If you use your bank card, it is charged, etc. When you take out bills, you count them. With this permanent use of digital currency, the value of things escapes us. I think that we should not eliminate money, it has an effect of controlling the value of things, and that is positive.