https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The Nordic countries might be the best known for their gender-equal policies, but a new ranking on equality between men and women taking into account things like work, money and education places France second within the EU. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251202/france-second-most-gender-equal-country-in-eu-according-to-new-ranking Tue, 02 Dec 2025 13:33:24 +0100 france-second-most-gender-equal-country-in-eu-according-to-new-ranking Cities and villages across France are scrambling to rid themselves of plaques while schools are moving to change their names following a raft of posthumous sexual abuse accusations against a charity icon who was showered with accolades in his lifetime. https://www.thelocal.fr/20240911/french-cities-and-schools-shake-off-name-of-charity-icon-accused-of-abuse Wed, 11 Sep 2024 19:28:05 +0200 french-cities-and-schools-shake-off-name-of-charity-icon-accused-of-abuse One of France's top yachtsmen Kevin Escoffier was on Friday banned for 18 months by the French Sailing Federation following a sexual assault inquiry. https://www.thelocal.fr/20231021/french-skipper-escoffier-banned-for-sexual-assault Sat, 21 Oct 2023 16:33:46 +0200 french-skipper-escoffier-banned-for-sexual-assault After passing landmark legislation in 2018 to outlaw sexual harassment in public places, France has increased the penalties for certain types of street harassment. https://www.thelocal.fr/20230404/france-raises-fine-for-sexual-harassment-to-e3750 Tue, 04 Apr 2023 17:31:41 +0200 france-raises-fine-for-sexual-harassment-to-e3750 France's answer to the Oscars, the Cesar Awards, will hold its ceremony on Friday, with a distinct lack of women nominees despite a post-MeToo overhaul aimed at improving its feminist credentials. https://www.thelocal.fr/20230224/french-oscars-ceremony-features-awkward-lack-of-women Fri, 24 Feb 2023 18:46:10 +0100 french-oscars-ceremony-features-awkward-lack-of-women Sexism remains at an "alarming" level in France with many young men judging discriminatory or violent behaviour against women to be acceptable, a report published on Monday found. https://www.thelocal.fr/20230123/a-fifth-of-young-frenchmen-say-bragging-about-sexual-exploits-is-necessary Mon, 23 Jan 2023 15:50:51 +0100 a-fifth-of-young-frenchmen-say-bragging-about-sexual-exploits-is-necessary The French Cycling Federation on Saturday defended its decision to pay for business seats for male cyclists while its women's team flew economy on the long trip to the World Championships in Australia. https://www.thelocal.fr/20220917/french-cycling-team-flies-into-sexism-storm Sat, 17 Sep 2022 16:39:09 +0200 french-cycling-team-flies-into-sexism-storm Four years after the #MeToo movement, French victims of gender-based violence are still struggling to obtain justice, with the police accused of failing to take their complaints seriously. https://www.thelocal.fr/20211019/twice-victimised-french-women-accuse-police-of-downplaying-rape Tue, 19 Oct 2021 18:38:38 +0200 twice-victimised-french-women-accuse-police-of-downplaying-rape A quarter of employees at the French video game giant Ubisoft have been victims of professional misconduct at work or were witnesses to it, according to a survey carried out by the group following allegations of sexual misconduct. https://www.thelocal.fr/20201006/quarter-of-employees-at-french-firm-report-harassment-at-work Tue, 06 Oct 2020 12:50:19 +0200 quarter-of-employees-at-french-firm-report-harassment-at-work A total of 121 women were killed by their partner or former partner in France last year, equating to one death every three days, government figures have revealed. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190711/domestic-violence-a-woman-is-killed-every-three-days-in-france Thu, 11 Jul 2019 10:19:13 +0200 domestic-violence-a-woman-is-killed-every-three-days-in-france More than one million French women, or one woman in 20, are targets of sexist comments in public, according to a new report on sexism. *French language learner article.* https://www.thelocal.fr/20190117/more-than-one-million-french-women-targets-of-sexist-comments Thu, 17 Jan 2019 11:53:49 +0100 more-than-one-million-french-women-targets-of-sexist-comments A French man caught on camera slapping a young woman on a Paris street after she berated him for making lewd comments was given a six-month custodial sentence on Thursday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20181005/frenchman-caught-slapping-woman-in-video-that-went-viral-gets-jail-sentence Fri, 05 Oct 2018 10:56:14 +0200 frenchman-caught-slapping-woman-in-video-that-went-viral-gets-jail-sentence France's gender equality minister Marlène Schiappa has announced the government's new plans against domestic abuse which aims to make sure women can "leave before it is too late". https://www.thelocal.fr/20181001/france-reveals-new-measures-to-combat-domestic-violence Mon, 01 Oct 2018 19:51:42 +0200 france-reveals-new-measures-to-combat-domestic-violence A French court has fined a man for insulting a woman during an assault on a bus, the first conviction under a new law that punishes sexual harassment in public spaces, judicial sources said Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180926/frenchman-gets-first-fine-for-street-harassment Wed, 26 Sep 2018 10:57:32 +0200 frenchman-gets-first-fine-for-street-harassment A French feminist group is pushing for lewd holiday postcards featuring mainly near-naked women to be banned, calling them "sexist and sometimes pornographic". https://www.thelocal.fr/20180806/frances-dirty-postcards-might-be-sent-packing Mon, 06 Aug 2018 12:51:18 +0200 frances-dirty-postcards-might-be-sent-packing A young woman who posted a shocking video of a man punching her outside a Paris cafe launched a website on Wednesday which allows victims of harassment to tell their stories. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180802/woman-hit-on-paris-street-launches-anti-harassment-website Thu, 02 Aug 2018 11:03:15 +0200 woman-hit-on-paris-street-launches-anti-harassment-website The video of a woman being slapped hard in the face by a man who verbally harassed her has got France talking about sexual harassment on the streets once again. Here's what Parisian women told The Local about their own experiences of being groped and pestered in the French capital. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180730/women-in-paris-tell-their-stories-of-sexual-harassment Mon, 30 Jul 2018 16:21:21 +0200 women-in-paris-tell-their-stories-of-sexual-harassment A branch of a French supermarket chain has been accused of sexism for promoting a special offer on gasoline in which it uses images of young women in bikinis standing at the pump. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180705/babes-and-petrol-pumps-french-supermarket-takes-advertising-back-to-sexist-60s Thu, 05 Jul 2018 18:16:38 +0200 babes-and-petrol-pumps-french-supermarket-takes-advertising-back-to-sexist-60s The most political Cannes film festival in years opens late on Tuesday with female stars vowing to protest on the red carpet against industry sexism, two top directors barred from attending and bans hanging over some movies. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180508/sexism-and-metoo-in-focus-on-opening-day-for-cannes-film-festival Tue, 08 May 2018 14:03:24 +0200 sexism-and-metoo-in-focus-on-opening-day-for-cannes-film-festival Sexual harassment in public places will be punished by a new on-the-spot fine of €90, the government has announced. The new law comes just as a wild animal-themed campaign to raise awareness of the scourge is launched on the Paris Metro. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180306/french-cat-callers-to-face-new-90-fine-as-paris-launches-wild-animal-themed-sex-harassment-campaign Tue, 06 Mar 2018 14:47:32 +0100 french-cat-callers-to-face-new-90-fine-as-paris-launches-wild-animal-themed-sex-harassment-campaign