Toward a Stronger Culture of Gender Equality
Ensuring equal access for women and men to all jobs, preventing potential wage disparities, promoting a healthy work-life balance, and combating sexual and gender-based violence. These are the objectives of UM biennial plan for gender equality, which was approved by the Board of Directors on December 14.
The University of Montpellier did not wait for the Civil Service Reform Act of August 6, 2019 —which made this plan mandatory—to take action in support of greater gender equality. However,“this new legislative framework provides an opportunity to formalize our actions by structuring them into a plan that we intended to be biennial,” says Agnès Fichard-Carroll, Vice President for Social Responsibility.
To develop this action plan, the vice president—who worked with the Campus Life Division (DVC), the Human Resources Division (DRH), and the Planning and Coordination Division (DPIL)—sought the broadest possible consultation. Due to the health crisis, a roundtable discussion—open to allUM staff—was held on November 2 via videoconference.“The plan was then presented to the Health, Safety, and Working Conditions Committee (CHSCT) on the 1ster December, and the Technical Committee’s opinion was sought before it was voted on by the Board of Directors on December 14,” adds Agnès Fichard Carroll.
A continuous improvement process
What can we say today about the gender equality figures atUM First of all, of the 4,833 staff members, 50.07% are women, compared to 49.93% men. Equality seems to be the norm. However, the proportion of women drops to 39% among faculty members and faculty researchers; among administrative, technical, and support staff (BIATS), women account for more than 60% of the workforce, but they are underrepresented in Category A positions and overrepresented in Category C positions. This observation is not specific toUM is identical at universities with similar scopes.
To track these figures, a gender parity report will be produced and published in brochure form each year so that everyone can assess how the situation is evolving. A survey on “inequalities in treatment, study conditions, and working conditions in higher education and research” will also be conducted as part of a research project. At the same time, initiatives will be developed to obtain the Alliance certification for professional equality, and a steering committee will be created“with the goal of meeting at least twice a year to monitor the equality plan,” explains Agnès Fichard-Carroll. The idea is to firmly commit to a process of continuous improvement.
Assessing and Preventing Pay Gaps
Even though, in the civil service, salaries for the same position, grade, and step are equitable, part-time work and the underrepresentation of women in the highest grades and steps contribute to a lower overall level of pay for women. There are few levers available to take effective and rapid action because regulations do not allow for prioritizing the hiring or promotion of women. Several measures in the plan are nonetheless crucial to improving this situation, such as eliminating the pro-rata adjustment of compensation increases for women on maternity leave so that they are not penalized.
Another goal is to raise awareness among decision-makers and selection committees by providing them with gender-disaggregated data.“For example, if 70% of women applied for a promotion compared to 30% of men, and yet women account for only 20% of those promoted, we need to be aware of that,” argues the vice president. “This doesn’t necessarily have to influence decisions—which can be based on well-defined criteria—but we need to be aware of what we’re doing. There are many cognitive biases, and the question of equality must be considered in all our decisions.”
Ensure equal access to positions, ranks, and jobs in the civil service
At the university, as in the rest of society, gender diversity in the workforce is far from a given. Among BIATS staff, women make up the majority in management, administration, communications, and the life sciences, whereas they are a small minority in computer science, logistics, and engineering. Among faculty members and researchers, women are rare in disciplines such as mathematics and civil engineering. To address this issue, “it is important to take proactive steps by raising awareness of gender stereotypes from a very young age.The university also contributes to this effort by highlighting women who serve as role models for the public.” The Digifilles project, led by two vice presidents, Anne Laurent and Isabelle Parrot, which aims to offer middle school girls internships in digital research labs, is another example of this awareness-raising effort, as are the initiatives targeting students during “Donnerdes Elles àUMmonth,” says Agnès Fichard-Caroll.
Supporting women in succeeding in competitive exams and professional examinations and ensuring their equal access to promotions is one of the cornerstones of this plan. To this end, awareness-raising initiatives must be carried out among competitive exam panels and throughout the various recruitment processes. To that end, a brochure titled “Recruiting Without Discrimination ” has just been produced atUM is being widely distributed to exam panels. The plan also involves offering training on this issue of equity to staff in supervisory roles, for example, but also more broadly to the entire community.
Another flagship initiative atUM is the “Springboard® or Tremplin pour les Femmes®” program. Originally designed for female faculty members and researchers, the program—now called “OSER”—has been expanded to include women in BIATS leadership roles.“This is a training program designed to help women feel more confident in their roles, better navigate their careers by building self-confidence, and make more informed choices, ” explains the vice president. UM a pioneer in this field, and the program has even been cited in the Ministry’s guidelines.” The goal now is to train female facilitators so the program can be rolled out across the entire university.
Work-Life Balance
Telework, assistance with family vacations, support for cultural or sports activities, childcare solutions…UM long been committed to addressing work-life balance. This policy is not exclusively for women, but it does benefit them. The allocation of daycare spots will be further expanded to reach twenty spots in 2021—the size of a small facility—and the situation for pregnant women and those on parental leave will be made more secure, particularly by having human resources representatives work closely with them.
The fight against sexual and gender-based violence must also continue by strengthening communication with victims: reporting procedures, support services, and existing protective measures within the University…“A resource will be created for victims. They are often too stressed during interviews to fully grasp all the information we provide them, ” emphasizes Agnès Fichard-Carroll. “For all the measures in this plan to have a real impact, it is essential that allUM staff be awareUM . A culture of equality requires clear and effective communication, but also—and above all—the commitment and participation of everyone.”