Gender equality: clichés are tough

Article from the Southwest of March 16, 2017EDUCATION - High school students from Bayonne and high school girls from Hendaye met on the subject of business

Boys and girls have a dialogue on equality in front of the mirror

Boys from Lycée Paul-Bert in Bayonne visited the girls from Lycée Aizpurdi in Hendaye last Friday. It wasn’t just a courtesy call. Some will be future salespeople and study sales techniques, others will become beauticians. Very distant universes which, however, could come together if these young girls and boys crossed certain barriers.

Those with a better knowledge of their respective studies and those which quite simply separate the world of women from that of men. One thing unites them, however: these teenagers are reluctant to become entrepreneurs and prefer to remain salaried. The principal of Aizpurdi high school, Bernard Cabos-Duhamel, father of five boys but very feminist, reigns over this world of girls. It not only tries to enhance their studies and make their professional future even brighter, but also to restore equality between girls and boys. Corporate culture On March 11, 2016, he organized a conference on the place of women in business. In 2015, a first meeting, conducted in partnership with the associations Andere Nahia and 100,000 Entrepreneurs, already focused on the theme "Women are the future of men". These initiatives had been a real success and had fascinated his students. "At the time of orientation, few girls choose entrepreneurship. However, we want to encourage them to dare and go beyond stereotypes", launches the principal. Last Friday, this face-to-face meeting, always supported by the 100,000 Entrepreneurs association which seeks to transmit the entrepreneurial culture to young people, brought down some sections of the wall that separate the two worlds. The high school students spent the day discovering a not-so-trivial profession. They listened to their fellows and in a way, made a "new skin". A little intimidated at the start, the boys gradually let go, to dialogue on an equal basis with the girls. For Sacha, these aesthetic professions seemed to him very far from his world. "But ultimately I realize that these are very serious industries." It's not easy to break the codes. If the boys are asked if they would be bothered to be led by a woman, the reluctance is not far off: "I would rather be led by a man, but that wouldn't make me leave the company." The vast majority believe that men and women do not think in the same way. A finding that leaves them wondering. "More complicated" Another boy recognizes that girls have more barriers to overcome than men in professional life: "It is necessarily more complicated". For teachers, "we must not shatter dreams and give young people ambition". Recruitment techniques need to be reviewed and it is necessary to break down stereotypes. In theory, there is no confrontation. But these 16 and 17 year old girls still have an education and role models that cripple them. They are not pushed to surpass themselves and become a business leader. It is on this point that boys and girls come together and that Anaïck Jusy, regional project manager for 100,000 Entrepreneurs, intervened. "Young people limit themselves and do not feel capable of running a business. They take refuge in salaried work and prefer to remain employed." Yet a girl says: "It's motivating to have a job that we like". The high school girls will visit Paul Bert's boys very soon and these initiatives should give wings to these students.