The Local France

Paris fined €90k for having 'too many women in charge'

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 17:48:52 +0100

Paris city authorities have been fined for employing too many women in senior positions, a decision mocked as 'absurd' by mayor Anne Hidalgo on Tuesday.

France publishes charter on gender-neutral toys for children

Tue, 06 Oct 2020 17:38:41 +0200

Toymakers and retailers in France have signed a new government charter committing to make children's toys gender neutral.

The sexist French expressions you'll still hear at work

Mon, 16 Oct 2017 13:13:16 +0200

Sexism, we are told, is still rife in French offices, so here are the most common sexist French expressions not to tolerate in the office.

France rejects 'intersex' option on official documents

Fri, 05 May 2017 10:24:57 +0200

Intersex people born in France cannot hold official documents identifying them as gender neutral, the country's highest appeals court ruled Thursday.

'Frenchman' with penis and vagina denied third gender

Wed, 23 Mar 2016 11:24:44 +0100

A French appeals court has overturned a landmark decision to recognise a third gender for a person born with both a "micropenis" and rudimentary vagina", court documents showed Tuesday.

A French ministry for women, kids, cooking and cleaning?

Fri, 12 Feb 2016 18:38:54 +0100

France's freshly reshuffled government left some puzzled Friday over the role of new ministries such as that of "real equality", while another linking "family, children and women's rights" has irked feminists.

First French 'neutral gender' defends 'being genderless'

Fri, 05 Feb 2016 18:05:04 +0100

The first French person to be given the designation "neutral gender" appeared in court on Friday to testify in an appeal of the decision.

France recognizes first 'gender neutral' person

Wed, 14 Oct 2015 12:19:00 +0200

A court in central France has officially registered a person as being "gender neutral" rater than either male or female - the first ruling of its kind in France.

France sees jump in gap between rich and poor

Thu, 21 May 2015 14:48:36 +0200

Income inequality has increased more in France than in many other wealthy countries, according to an OECD study, which also found that France was a slow mover when it came to decreasing the gender pay gap.

Women do bulk of housework in France

Wed, 13 May 2015 17:27:18 +0200

Women in France still do the bulk of the housework and most men wouldn’t know a duster if it tickled them on the nose, a new study shows.

Women in France: Do they really have égalité?

Sun, 08 Mar 2015 11:33:00 +0100

In recognition of International Women's Day, we shine the spotlight on France and investigate the equality of the sexes when it comes to top jobs, salary gaps, and the genders of the country's politicians.

French feminists protest 'gendered' toy sales

Sun, 14 Dec 2014 10:54:00 +0100

A group of feminists, some dressed as princesses and maids, briefly occupied a Paris toy shop Saturday to protest the gender stereotypes fuelled by toys in the run-up to Christmas.

Ten things to know about France's new equality law

Tue, 21 Jan 2014 15:55:00 +0100

French lawmakers were mulling a landmark bill on Monday that aims to close the equality gap between men and women. From abortion to pay, beauty contests to the media, here are ten key points to know about the proposals that could change the face of the country.

School supervisor, 50, fired for jacuzzi rap video

Fri, 11 May 2012 13:04:38 +0200

A 50-year-old school supervisor who was dismissed after she took part in a rap video clip about older women who date younger men. The woman is taking her employer, a Catholic school near Cannes, to court.

French women lose chore war to men

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:52:00 +0100

French men still refuse to pitch in and take on their fair share of work around the home. A recent survey shows that that women do twice as much household work as men.

'French language is sexist' feminists say

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:30:00 +0100

French feminists demonstrated in Paris calling on authorities to change French grammar. They say grammar rules convey sexist ideologies and should be reformed.

Men stare at breasts, women at wedding rings: study

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 10:28:28 +0100

An eye tracking study by a French laboratory, conducted in seven countries, presented an image of an attractive woman to both men and women to discover where their eyes went.

Sarkozy's ex-wife tells of President's 'groupies'

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 11:17:00 +0200

Cécilia Attias told a US news programme that her husband had been openly pursued by other women when they were married.

Sexist French politicians take a beating after Strauss-Kahn affair

Tue, 31 May 2011 13:31:00 +0200

The arrest of Dominique Strauss-Kahn on attempted rape charges has been followed by the resignation of one of Sarkozy's ministers amid similar allegations. Will the macho, sexist world of French politics ever be the same again, asks Rory Mulholland