The bill against hair discrimination soon in the Assembly

A bill will soon be examined, on March 28, in the National Assembly to examine hair discrimination in the professional environment. Details from Sarah Lemoine.

Curly, frizzy, blond, red or bald hair… On March 28, the National Assembly will examine a text which aims to sanction hair discrimination, particularly in the world of work.

franceinfo: How widespread is the phenomenon?

Sarah Lemoine: It’s difficult to assess because in France, there are no studies or statistics on the subject. On the other hand, “hair discrimination exists, there are all kinds of it, it’s indisputable,” says sociologist Jean François Amadieu.

According to him, sociological studies show that in the collective imagination, people who have “textured and loose hair is associated with people who are less serious, less rigorous, more messy, compared to those who have straighter and styled hair”, regardless of skin color. And this is what leads to discrimination, particularly in access to employment.

The bill which intends to fight against hair discrimination specifically mentions the situation of black women?

MP Olivia Serva, who carries this text, cites a study carried out in the United States, where ethnic polls are authorized. It shows that two thirds of Afro-descendant women change their hairstyle before a job interview. But to flatten your hair is to flatten yourself, he says, it affects your self-esteem.

Furthermore, women who use products to straighten their hair increase the risk of having uterine cancer by four times, compared to those who do not use them, according to the American Public Health Agency. The MP also believes that France is lagging behind on the subject, compared to the United States, where around twenty states have adopted legislation against hair discrimination, in the absence of a law at the federal level.

This bill will therefore be examined on March 28 in the Assembly. Is she likely to be adopted?

Not sure. Because in France, the law already prohibits 25 grounds of discrimination, including one which specifically concerns physical appearance, and which includes, in fact, the nature of the hair and the way it is styled. For Anne Vincent, lawyer at the Voltaire law firm, it is therefore not necessary to list all the physical particularities.

The problem is that victims have difficulty providing proof that they have been discriminated against. Or that they have neither the money nor the energy to engage in a long legal procedure. According to the Maison des Potes, this explains the virtual absence of trials.