2 of women executives against 15 in 2002

They are about 200 jumped way. End of December 2008, few French companies had signed a professional agreement on diversity. Among them: half of the giants of the CAC 40 and a large one-quarter of the SBF 120 companies.

Negotiated with the social partners, these agreements establish the roadmap of a professional branch or employer in the fight against gender inequality. "The number of agreements is growing for four or five years," observes Annie Ducellier, founder of the firm Isotélie and co-author of a comparative analysis of those agreements. Because companies that commit to not wrong: investing the scope of equality also offers opportunities. Retread tires Laurent company, which employs 800 workers, has signed an agreement in 2006, it is struggling to recruit. Others want to be closer to their customers. "In a working group on the design of a vehicle, women will think to specific functionality", notes, for example, Jean-Luc Vergne, former HRD of PSA.

"Blockades of society".

However, on the ground, the implementation of these commitments remains complicated. For evidence Pioneer in the fight against inequalities and signatory of an agreement in 2003, PSA had finally in 2008 that 18.2 of women executives, against 15 in 2002.

Also, at the national level, the account does not. According to a study published late 2008 by the Dares, the average gross wage gap between men and women stood in... 27 in 2006. It is 16 when it refers to the total gross hourly wage (against 15 in 2002). And it amounts to 19 among managers and 7 among employees.

The causes of such inequalities are not yesterday: the part-time work is still 31 of the 11.2 million active women against 7 of men. Women are often of low-skilled jobs. They are the subject of parenting-related career breaks and are victims of the famous "glass ceiling" which blocks their access to positions of responsibility... "In senior management positions, I am convinced that women bring a balance to the Directorate, said Eric Bouvier, bioMérieux HRD.". But we're going in blockades of the company. The woman is still for the moment more responsibilities at home, but these positions involve travel and have a random part related to the unexpected. "The brakes are also cultural:"equality is still too often perceived as an additional constraint to please women", said Laurence Chou, Director of the Council to cabinet Hewitt pole.

Laws are not sufficient to change the situation. However, there is no shortage of texts. Passed in 2001, Génisson confirms the obligation established in 1983 for the undertakings with more than 50 employees to prepare a comparative situation report (RSC) each year, between men and women. It also required negotiations with the social partners, who have signed, on 1 March 2004, an inter-professional national agreement on diversity. Finally, a law passed in March 2006 provides the abolition of wage inequality before December 31, 2010. As many texts which appear to have remained dead letter. "Only one-third enterprises meet the obligation to produce" the RSC, found, end of 2007, Xavier Bertrand, then Minister of labour. At the time, it was considering financial penalties for employers who have not sought to rebalance wages at December 31, 2009. But to date this text is still not left the Department. While the mid-term, that should establish the State in 2008 on the negotiations in the branches and enterprises, is postponed to the spring. "The dynamics is not extraordinary," said Laurence Laigo, Secretary national professional equality to the CFDT. Or "women are more affected by poverty," said. To succeed, "there is no quick fix", says Annie Ducellier. Agreements must appeal to the arsenal of HR. "Professional equality is not a new program;" "it is part of what already exists", said Laurence Chou.

Strengthen the involvement of all

Of the recruitment process for high potentials through the career management, everything is passed in review. Priorities and objectives are set. At a time when it becomes a societal issue, a growing number of companies address the notion of balance between private and professional lives in their agreements. Allowing them to not let escape of male and female talented profiles.... "It's about taking account of this balance that the candidate will be decided more than wages, finally bit different of one large company to another," said Bruno Guillermet, HRD of Alstom Transport, which launched in January. For Valérie Senentz, Assistant to HRD at Paris airports, the interest is clearly to "strengthen the involvement of all employees in the company."

Must be that employers are able to diagnose the extent of disparities. On equal pay, the agreements concern chapter. "It cannot be limited to average indicators", explains Michel Pépin, consultant for the firm growth. Co-author of a retailer study the implementation of eight agreements, it warns against the bias assessment, because number of factors related to the Organization of the work or history of posts, must be taken into account. The game is subtle. In addition, "if they are not elaborated, actions to adjust the wages of women can generate resentment among men," warns Laurence Chou.

Awareness is necessary. Indispensable, a strong commitment to the direction is only a step. "It is not enough to declare that this or that indicator should evolve, we must change mentalities," assures Valérie Senentz. Following the agreement signed in 2006, ADP has organized seminars for awareness for its managers, prepared a booklet on good practices and attached to its executives of professional equality targets. Meanwhile, BNP Paribas has encouraged the establishment of a network of women who regularly dialogue with male officials. SAP development, for its part, on transparency by widely disseminating its numerical indicators.

Slowly, changes occur. In four years against three planned initially, Schneider Electric has called 10 of its workers to more technical positions. "The first volunteers have had to confront the prejudices of their fellow men and women" that did not approach them, observes Catherine Belotti, Director of diversity among the specialist of electrical equipment. "They have often had to change their pace of work and private life." "This was asked a true commitment on the part of HR, management and guardians to support them in their approach," she continues.

However, as noted by Michel Pépin, "land managers must also deal with the priority objectives of performance on equality issues." "It is not easy for them to co-exist the two". Will the crisis challenge these policies "It is on the non-vital," admits Florence Méaux, Director of Afaq-Afnor Certification, which launched in June 2004, the equality label. Nevertheless "more in addition to companies interested in their social responsibility", she said.

First benefits

For Laurence Chou, "which is very positive is that those who began to work on these topics are realizing the benefits of their work." Result, they go further. In its 2009-2011 agreement, the insurer AXA increased by 25 the budget destined for the reduction of wage differentials. The envelope is increased to EUR 1.25 million. Alstom Transport, which includes recruiting 500 employees in 2009, is determined to pursue its efforts: "it does not develop a positive image if it is non-stop of" stop and go "", insists Bruno Guillermet. And if in SAP, management recognizes that the adjustments of salaries will be difficult with the crisis, the change is not at work. Certainly, the automaker is that 12 of women executives in 50 years. But this figure rises to 37 in less than 30 years. "We are in the beginnings of an egalitarian policy, says Jean-Luc Vergne." Few women occupy management positions because it recruited very few twenty years ago. But in 10 years, less than 30 years have changed the physiognomy of the group.