What do young workers, and the French in general, think about professional equality and the place of women in companies? This is what the Great Place to Work Institute, which publishes an annual ranking of the best places to work for everyone, wanted to know. Here are the main results of the survey, as previewed by Sarah Ferry, in charge of the file at Great Place to Work.

Surprisingly optimistic and sometimes contradictory: the results of the Great Place to Work survey on how the French perceive gender equality in the workplace are a challenge. “I note that the young people we interviewed (those under 35) are more optimistic than the average French person,” says Sarah Ferry, editorial director of Great Place to Work. More optimistic, or more naive about inequality? According to the study, 77% consider, for example, that salaries are equal between the two sexes (compared to 73% of the national population) and 63% say that women have the same opportunities as men to reach management positions (compared to 59%). The fact that they perceive it that way, even though they belong to a generation that is very aware of sexism, could create a virtuous circle: it means that they may be more inclined to create egalitarian environments than their elders were,” Sarah Ferry wants to believe. Either way, it sends a signal to companies that these young workers are probably much less tolerant of inequality.”

Stop the clichés!

Among the obstacles to the development of women’s careers, the French cite sexism (60%), maternity (55%), and the tradition of the company (40%) or sector (28%). Only 65% of respondents “feel that all employees are treated equally regardless of their gender” (the percentage rises to almost 90% in companies with the Great Place to Work label). “There is still a lot of work to do,” confirms Sarah Ferry. We are all the more convinced of this when we discover the qualities that the representative sample attributes to female leadership. Women leaders are better at listening, communicating and empathizing. Of course they are! Strategic vision and pragmatism are at the bottom of the list… But let’s not panic: “soft skills” (related to interpersonal skills) are on the way to dethroning the more technical skills in access to responsibilities! We are experiencing a fundamental change in the perception and expectations of leadership,” confirms Sarah Ferry. The qualities required leave more room for soft skills, which is good news for women. But, of course, there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of education and the fight against stereotypes, as there are still fewer women in these positions. We need to de-essentialize managerial qualities. And finally consider individuals at work for who they are, rather than for their gender.