Gender equality plan: “A genuine culture of equality is taking shape”
The University of Montpellier's new gender equality plan was unanimously approved by the board of directors on March 13. It provides for the implementation of thirty new actions, following on from the forty already carried out under the previous plan. Agnès Fichard-Carroll, Vice President for Education and University Life and Project Manager for Gender Equality, and Laure Parmentier, Head of Quality of Life at Work at the Campus Life Department, provide an overview and outlook (see Rouages: " Working for important causes ").
Before announcing the main points of the University of Montpellier's new gender equality plan, what is your assessment of the 2021-2022 plan (read: Towards a stronger culture of gender equality) ?
AFC: This first plan, as it was the first of its kind, comprised seven areas of focus and forty actions. All of them have been implemented—with the exception of one that we ultimately deemed inappropriate—so the results are very positive. A genuine culture of equality is taking root, and we must continue to promote it.
What were the key actions that could be implemented during this period?
LP: There have been many, starting with the implementation of a procedure for reporting any acts of violence, discrimination, moral or sexual harassment, sexist behavior, etc. A support unit has been set up and a guide specifically for victims and/or witnesses of sexual and sexist violence (VSS) is now available on the University's website.
Has this unit been requested?
AFC: Yes, we have received around ten reports of sexual harassment thanks to the significant communication efforts that have been made, and three cases have been referred to the disciplinary committee. However, these reports relate to a wide variety of situations, some of which do not fall within the university's remit, but we have nevertheless been able to help these individuals with their cases. Other individuals have made reports without wishing to take any further action.
How can you help them in this case?
LP: These people simply wanted things to stop. I can cite the case of sexist "jokes" that are not jokes at all, but sexist behavior. The role of the listening unit was to reprimand the perpetrators and help them understand why this behavior is no longer acceptable in the workplace. After that, either the person understands or they don't, but they have to stop.
Does this mainly concern relations between agents?
LP: Of these ten situations, two involved staff members, three involved Professors students, four involved only students, and one involved a student and an outside person. There were two disciplinary sanctions, one referral to the prosecutor, two reprimands, and one case is still pending.
The Oser! program, which aims to help women break through glass ceilings has been continued. Is it working well?
LP: Oser! existed even before the gender equality plan, as it is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. A total of 140 women have been trained at the university. The program initially targeted female professors and researchers, but three years ago it was opened up to women in management positions at Biats. We now plan to open it up to doctoral students and/or Biats staff. New facilitators have been trained internally: Séverine Boulon, who is a teacher-researcher, and myself. But the objectives of this training have remained the same: to enable women to better approach their careers, to have more confidence, to create a network, to know how to promote themselves and to communicate.
Has work also been carried out with the HR department?
AFC: Yes, we have worked together to secure the career paths of pregnant women before and after their maternity leave, and we have put an end to the pro-rating of their premiums. We also offer support for men who are taking or returning from parental leave. With regard to recruitment panels, we have produced a brochure entitled "Recruiting without discrimination" aimed at promoting good recruitment practices. ... There has really been a lot going on! We have introduced equality training and awareness-raising initiatives for new arrivals.
And the completion of a gender equality assessment, which was presented to the authorities at the same time as the new plan, is that correct?
AFC: Yes, this report can be found onthe University's intranet. The figures we publish there are mainly taken from the single social report (RSU). They put into perspective the evolution of gender equality within the University between 2018 and 2021. It is on the basis of this report that we have drawn up the actions for the new equality plan.
So let's talk about this new plan. It has six pillars instead of seven. Why was the pillar concerning students removed?
LP: This focus hasn't really disappeared; it's been removed from the equality plan because it's now part of the student life master plan. This plan includes all actions relating to equality and the fight against discrimination at the student level.
Thirty actions are proposed across these six areas. That's slightly fewer than last time, isn't it?
LP: It may seem like less, but in reality there are actions that involve several of them, and some of them are quite ambitious in terms of time, workload, and expected results, so our goals continue to grow.
What actions can you already announce to us?
AFC: One of our flagship initiatives will be participation in the Acadiscri survey conducted by a group of researchers at several French universities. It will be launched across the entire university community and will focus not only on gender equality, but on all 25 criteria of discrimination defined by law: gender, age, real or perceived sexual orientation, physical appearance, etc. The aim is to obtain quantitative indicators to assess the situation.
The plan mentions a brochure on diversity. What will it contain?
LP: This brochure will show the percentage and success rate of girls in different fields of study. Some fields are still very gendered—this was the subject of the "Flou.e" exhibition presented as part of "Donner des Elles à l'UM"—and we want to show that women who enroll in fields considered "masculine" are successful, and even very successful.
Is there also a communication component?
LP: Yes, we need to continue educating the university community about gender stereotypes, particularly communications officers, who may still sometimes use them without realizing it. To help them, we have produced a guide to inclusive writing, which has just been widely distributed. Finally, one of the key actions in this plan will be to put together a toolkit for departments, schools, institutes, and research facilities.
What will we find in this toolbox?
LP: We are still thinking about it, but it will include ready-to-use resources for raising awareness: the equality plan, legislation, gender parity reports, and perhaps access to books or replays. Still on the subject of awareness, we will be offering short training sessions, lasting an hour or half an hour, on sexual violence and harassment and reporting mechanisms for staff. These will be very short sessions that will enable us to reach a large number of people.
Have any guidelines changed since the last plan, or are there things that should not be repeated?
AFC: No, the idea is to maintain this momentum and ensure that our actions are sustainable. For example, the gender parity assessment will be repeated regularly to monitor progress within the University. We will continue our awareness-raising activities and continue to promote a good work-life balance, as we have done by creating nursery places. We will continue to promote equal access for men and women to positions of responsibility and continue the fight against discrimination and acts of violence.
Overall, how has the implementation of these measures been received at the University?
AFC: All these measures were voted unanimously! This is a key issue in today's society, and the University reflects society. This is where the generations of tomorrow are educated, and even if the plan for professional equality does not primarily target students, it does have an impact on them. When we work to help women break through glass ceilings, we create new role models for students at our university.