"Gender stereotypes are present at all levels."

Sorbonne University and the Théâtre de la Ville have joined forces to produce a short film on gender stereotypes in selection committees. On the occasion of International Women's Rights Day, Michela Petrini, who was formerly in charge of the Equality mission until 2021, talks about the project and the different actions implemented to promote professional equality between women and men at Sorbonne University.

How did the idea for this short film come about?

Michela Petrini :In the career of academic researchers, the selection process for promotion from associate professor to university professor highlights the inequality between women and men. The gender stereotypes, to which women and men are subject, play a major role in the outcome. At Sorbonne University, we have put in place a number of tools for selection committees to fight against these implicit biases. Among them, we had the idea, with the previous vice president in charge of personnel and professional equality, Stéphanie Bonneau, to produce a short film as part of a partnership agreement signed by the University with the Théâtre de la Ville. The film is a collective work between the actors and the theater director. The actors first asked us about the process of a selection committee, the people involved, their interactions, the way they express themselves, for example. Then, we co-wrote the dialogue, being careful not to fall into a caricature of these gender stereotypes.
The film was shown to the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MESRI), which wanted to offer it to other French universities. It is available on Sorbonne University's Youtube channel and will be shown to members of the selection committees this year. 

Can you give us an example of a gender stereotype?

M. P.: For example, if a young woman works with a person who is very well known in a field, people will say that she is not independent in her research, whereas for a man, he will be seen as highly competent because this person has chosen to work with him. For a woman, the qualifiers that often come up during selection committees are "sensible", "serious", "hard working". For a man, they are: "brilliant", "creative", "original". These differences influence the committee's decisions.

Why is it important to make the university community aware of these stereotypes?

M. P.: Sorbonne University is not immune to the phenomena that are at work throughout the rest of society, and which have an impact on the salaries and careers of women and men. On the one hand, there is a horizontal segregation ("the glass wall"): women are globally more present in support functions, often less paid, and less present among teaching and research staff. The figures speak for themselves. At Sorbonne University, in 2020, women represented approximately 61.6% of the tenured administrative staff, but only 40.8% of the tenured teaching and research staff.

On the other hand, this segregation is accompanied by vertical segregation ("the glass ceiling"): whatever the position, women are over-represented at the bottom of the hierarchy and under-represented at the top. For example, women represent 45.6% of associate professors in all disciplines, but only 28.6% of professors at the university.

What actions should be taken?

M. P.: There is a lot of work to be done to fight against gender stereotypes, which are present at all levels. It starts with how we educate girls and boys at school. Studies have clearly established that girls and boys are treated differently in class, with boys being more solicited when it comes to science. This integration of stereotypes at school partly explains the orientation choices of students and the lack of girls in fields such as math, physics, or engineering.

With the Science Culture and Society Department, we want to strengthen Sorbonne University's actions towards schools by setting up an internship offer for middle school students. The goal is twofold: on the one hand, to allow all students to discover the university world, and on the other hand, to do so in an egalitarian way by selecting 50% girls and 50% boys. We also visit schools as academics, for example on Women in Science Day. This is crucial to address the root of the problem. In the years to come, we would also like to think about how to change our academic offer to make it more inclusive and to promote gender diversity in the disciplines that are out of balance.

At the university, we have also set up actions to raise awareness about gender stereotypes. In particular, we have included this topic in the guide that is distributed to all presidents of selection committees. We must now measure the effectiveness of these actions and ask ourselves whether we should impose, for example, longer training courses.
With the Doctoral College, we have launched a mentoring program for doctoral students, based on the model proposed by the Women in Science association. The goal is to bring in colleagues, alumni and outsiders, who work in the private and public sectors, to talk about their jobs and support PhD candidates, particularly young women who choose scientific careers.

Do the actions of the Equality mission also cover the fight against sexist and sexual violence?

M. P.: Absolutely. This is the other major project of the Equality Mission. Sorbonne University must equip itself with tools to prevent, listen to and take care of the victims of violence, the effects of which are devastating. The Me Too movement and a very strong awareness on this subject have helped to reinforce the demand by students and staff for problems to be dealt with quickly. In 2020, Sorbonne University set up an external office managed by the Institute of Reproductive Health, which allows any victim or witness of sexist and sexual violence who works or studies at the university to be accompanied free of charge. We have developed training programs on this topic for staff and student associations and we will soon train members of disciplinary commissions.

Today, Sorbonne University is led by a woman. Can this accelerate things in terms of equality?

M. P.: It is an important symbol. Of the 60 presidents of universities in France, only 19 are women. But it is not enough to have a woman president for the problems of inequality to be solved. The will to put resources and means towards this mission is independent of the gender of the person who heads the institution. Our previous president, Jean Chambaz, always strongly supported this fight and I am confident that our new president will continue in this direction.