Sandrine Noilou has been lawyer for 8 years in the association “Women and Family Rights Information Center” (Centre d’informations des Droits des Femmes et des Familles). This local association provides free access to legal advice and to obtain explanations of court decisions. It aims at defending women but also at men about family rights.
She introduced herself on Thursday, March 11, 2021 to the Terminales classes of the Paul Gauguin high school to talk about women's rights. An intervention set up as part of the week on women's rights organized by the CVL.
The Week starts on March 8 with the international day of women rights. This commemoration day has existed in France since 1982. The struggle for women's rights is a never ending and long one.
The first claim of women rights dates from 1791with the feminism Olympe de Gouges
Women obtained the right to vote in 1944 but could only vote in 1945
Women have access to a job without the guardianship of a man (father, husband, brother...) and to a bank account since 1965
Today, the laws change because mentalities evolve. Society’s evolution allows to grand new rights. However, men and women aren’t equals.
Women and men, equal ? The equality allows everyone, whether men or women, to have access to the same rights and to the same jobs. Since 2000, a law on parity give women a chance to access at new areas like politics. The inequalities are particularly strong between genders. Women have to fight to get a place in the society and prove that they also able to provide the same effort that a man. Children are raised differently depending on their gender (dedicated tasks, toys), unconsciously barriers are put in place in certain sectors. For example, in public service, there are 72% school teachers but only 22% women in the military.
In 1975, with Simone Veil, right to abortion is established. Women obtains the right to dispose of their body. They choose to become mother or not. (L’IVG) asks many societal and religious questions. This right allows, for example, a women who was raped, to have the possibility of not bearing a potential child. In some countries especially in Africa, women don’t dispose their body and undergo mutilation. Actions are lead by UN (ONU) or Doctors without borders.
Pay inequalities: equal pay, equal work. Equal pay is legally unwritten. On average between a man's salary and that of a woman, there is a gap of 7% (depending on the private or public service) which can reach up to 20%. This year, on March 8 a call to strike was launched: to stop working at 3:40 p.m. Symbolic gesture to express the difference in salary. At equal pay, there is a breach of equality due to pregnancies and societal pressure to have a child. Maternity leave is 3 months, paternity leave until 2015 from 3 days has been increased to 15 days. The legislation provides for parental leave both taken by the mother or the father who compensates for the lack of salary.
Does the outfit justify the rape ? Is a actual question at the heart of the debates. A group of women took pictures of their clothes (skirt, jeans, tracksuit ...) in which they suffered an assault or rape in order to show that the outfit doesn’t justify the rape. Rape law is registered and recognized since 1980. The rape’s notion between spouses has only existed since 2006. Reporting rape is extremely complicated. The authorities who receive victims are often prejudiced, they take sides. Only 1% of rape proceedings are punished because the evidence is often destroyed by the victims. However, the emergence of actions has made it possible to do a lot of work on justice and the recognition of rape.
The Internet and social networks have, in recent years, been helping communication around taboo subjects and making it easier for women to speak out. The promote the evolution of laws because legislators more easily become aware of the problems of societies.
Why intervene in high schools? “It’s important to do prevention with teenager in order to make them aware of the social issues they will face in their lives. Carrying out this intervention in a group allows to interact with students who are both very knowledgeable about the topics and many others less. There is a real sharing ” Sandrine Noilou
Loïs Laumonnier