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Women work for free starting at 4:48 PM today

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undefined undefined 21 novembre 2024 undefined 16h57

The Editor

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Wage inequalities keep growing in France. According to the feminist group Les Glorieuses, starting this Friday, November 8th, at 4:48 PM, women will be working for free until the end of the year. Yay!

You’re not dreaming. Starting Friday, November 8 at 4:48 PM, women start working for free, reveals the feminist newsletter Les Glorieuses. And this will last until the end of the year. It’s a significant date, symbolizing the extent of the pay gap between men and women that exists in France. What does this mean? It means that if women earned the same hourly rate as men, they could theoretically stop working this Friday and still receive the same annual salary.


An Annual Calculation

This date has been calculated every year for the past nine years, according to Rebecca Amsellem, the author of the newsletter, based on salary inequalities published by Eurostat and the number of working days in the year. And while the situation has slightly improved,

It has improved a bit in recent years (23.5% less than men in 2023, compared to 34 in 2000), but it still remains way too significant, considering the time we live in. Especially since for a while now, the trend has been reversing, and the percentage is rising with each new analysis by one or two percent. Great news, isn't it, ladies ?


An Endless Struggle

To promote equal pay, Les Glorieuses offers a number of solutions, including: implementing "the principle of gender conditionality", increasing the minimum wage for so-called "feminized" professions such as teaching, midwifery, and nursing, and establishing a "mandatory post-birth parental leave" that is the same for both parents. If you feel you are a victim of this situation, there are several options available to you: directly approach your employer hoping they will be honest and make the necessary corrections. Take legal action, but be careful, as this requires concrete evidence. Or you can contact the labor tribunal. In the meantime, a petition #8novembre16h48 including the measures proposed by the association is already available on their website!