Give them to the UM
At the University of Montpellier, International Women's Rights Day lasts a whole month, from March 1 to 31! For the 2026 edition, "Donner des Elles à l'UM" invites you to continue working together to advance gender equality.
At the University, equality is not simply proclaimed: it is built, passed on, and defended. The program offered this year during the month of March is a powerful testament to this. It brings to life, on our campuses, a lasting and concrete commitment to women's rights. Through workshops, artistic creations, and conferences, by promoting the work of our students and strengthening our institutional mechanisms, we are affirming a clear ambition: to give ourselves the means to understand, act, and transform collective representations. Beyond the highlights of the month, we are pursuing a permanent dynamic: that of an inclusive university, attentive to vulnerabilities and resolutely committed to real equality.
The“Donner des Elles à l’UM”agenda
Workshop on mental, emotional, verbal, and physical self-defense
Hosted by Idaline Lortiga
Reserved for UM doctoral students (cis and trans women)
SATURDAY, MARCH 7
Montpellier – Triolet Campus – Building 3, workshop room.
9 a.m. > 5 p.m.
Equality Award
Competition MARCH 8 TO 31
Open to students and doctoral candidates enrolled at UM during the 2024-2025 and/or 2025-2026 academic years.
Niki
Ciné
Biopic by Céline Salette, 2024, duration: 1 hour 35 minutes
Inspired by the biography of visual artist and painter Niki de Saint Phalle.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11
Montpellier – Richter Campus – Aimé Schoenig Student Center.
7 p.m.
Gestures
Photographic series by Jean-Jacques Ader
MONDAY, MARCH 16
Opening reception at 12:30 p.m.
Perpignan – Faculty of Education, ground floor hallway.
Exhibition from March 16 to 31
They
Exhibition TUESDAY, MARCH 17
Opening reception at 1 p.m.
Montpellier – Triolet Campus – (S)pace, (S)tation.
Exhibition from March 12 to April 10
Women
Concert
By Raphaela Gromes and Julian Riem, duration: 2 hours (with intermission).
SATURDAY, MARCH 21
Montpellier – Corum (Salle Pasteur), Esplanade Charles De Gaulle.
7:00 p.m.
Is a world without oppression possible?
Conference
By Emilia Roig
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25
Via video conference.
12:15 p.m. > 1:30 p.m.
From the “Me Too” movement to sisterhood
Musical reading evening
With Anna Zamore, director, and Bololipsum, musician.
THURSDAY, MARCH 26
Montpellier – Triolet Campus – MDE Françoise Barré-Sinoussi.
7:00 p.m. > 9:00 p.m.
Workshop on mental, emotional, verbal, and physical self-defense
Hosted by Idaline Lortiga
Reserved for UM students (cis and trans women)
SATURDAY, MARCH 28
Montpellier – Triolet Campus – Building 3, workshop room.
9 a.m. > 5 p.m.
Autism and gender: let's change our perspective!
Conference TUESDAY, MARCH 31
Montpellier – Triolet Campus – Building 7, Dumontet lecture hall and online.
12:15 p.m. > 1:45 p.m.
March 8: International Women's Rights Day
Officially recognized by the United Nations in 1977, International Women's Rights Day has its origins in the struggles of the early 20th century, when female workers and suffragettes fought for better working conditions and the right to vote, which was not granted in France until 1944.
For nearly 40 years, this international day of demonstrations has been an opportunity to take stock of the situation of women around the world. A day of struggle for women's rights, it remains a hot topic.