initiatives in favor of equality in companies, but reluctance among certain male employees

For five years, the #StOpE collective has been acting against ordinary sexism in the world of work. 270 companies are now committed to raising awareness and training their employees regularly on the subject. One of the lessons is that we must not let up on the pressure.

At the start of the week, the High Council for Equality between Women and Men published its new report on the state of sexism in France. Six years after the #MeToo wave, the results are disappointing. We learn that sexism is taking root and even progressing. Men remain much less likely than women to notice unequal treatment between the two sexes.

Worse still, this perception gap worsens among 25-34 year olds. In this age group, for example, two thirds of men consider it normal for a man to have a higher salary than his colleague, for the same position. Compared to 12% of women of the same age.

Hence the importance of companies getting involved on the subject

Five years ago, three major groups launched the #StOpE initiative to combat everyday sexism in the world of work. They have since been joined by 267 companies and a few major schools. The signatories undertake to implement at least one action per year to raise employee awareness.

A role play, a poster campaign to identify sexist phrases, a conference. Provide personalized support to victims. Encourage witnesses to speak up. And sanction reprehensible behavior. Free e-learning training is available to all members. Four million employees have already been made aware or trained. There will be 400,000 more this year.

What are the results ?

The collective’s second barometer was published last June. It shows that half of the employees of companies that have joined Stop say they are more attentive to ordinary sexist comments and behavior. This is twice as much as the national average.

But this barometer also reveals less support from male employees on the issue of sexism. Brigitte Grésy, an expert on equality issues, sees the emergence of a form of fatigue or weariness. “Men are starting to perceive that women are disrupting their career path, and are saying to themselves that positive actions in favor of the opposite sex are starting to do well,” she explains. “We must constantly re-explain and inform employees, never relaxing our efforts from one year to the next,” says Anne-Laure Thomas, Diversity Director of the L’Oréal group, member of the #StOpE collective.