“I dream of being able to employ women who are experts in the economy,” says Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, who wants to break the glass ceiling that still often reduces this gender, which is said to be unfair, but which is “a source of enrichment for the economy.”

During discussions at economic meetings in Aix-en-Provence, she was the first woman to head the agency to talk about women’s success, second only to the issue of inflation that has rocked European governments.

Lagarde added, “If women had the same jobs as men, there would be ten million additional workers in the EU”, a 10% increase in GDP by 2050, which would enrich our economy.

In front of a large audience, she shared the stage with three other main ladies as fans waved fans to cool off the heat.

“But we are like a detail that hides the big picture,” said Laurence Bone, the French foreign minister responsible for Europe. “As the former chief inspector of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development said, society will judge women as incapable of assuming power because it is a strong man to assume power.”

Discrimination

According to Eurostat statistics, although women are half as many and more educated than men, they occupied 37% of management positions in the EU in 2019, and a much lower percentage of senior positions (18%).

According to the same source, 28% of the board of directors of listed companies are women. Until now, the management of these institutions was still reserved for men. Progress has certainly been made in the past decades, but much remains to be done.

Emmanuel Oriol, researcher and professor of economics at the Toulouse School of Economics, says: “Only 12 countries in the world – including France in the European Union – present better equality rights between men and women in 2022. (Zero) in this field in 1945.”

She wonders: “Does this equality of rights translate into equality in employment and employment opportunities? Both. There is a form of discrimination that is a culture that persists over time and is very difficult to shake off.

Over the years, the French Parliament has voted on texts aimed at promoting equality in electoral commissions. Steps have been taken to provide quota for women on boards of directors both nationally and at the European level.

Courage to shine

Louise Mushikivabo, secretary general of the international organization of La Francophonie, says: “We must change the stereotype and put women in positions traditionally reserved for men.” Like in Rwanda where he was foreign minister.

She adds, “When boys see the chief of police or the mayor of a big city, they grow up with this experience (…), there is another view of what women can do, while also calling for women to improve their access to such masculine fields as science and mathematics. Assorted training courses.

Within the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde wants to set an example to encourage women to “believe in themselves and have the courage to shine”. Under her leadership, the Foundation decided to accelerate the adoption of women in positions, especially in positions of responsibility, as women should be at least 40% by 2026.

“I’ve been working in this masculine environment for over 40 years,” he said. “I have yet to see a young woman come to me asking for a raise or a big bonus because she thinks she’s better. I’ve seen a lot of men do that!”

And she continued, “We have to accept that a woman can work in exactly the same conditions and sometimes even better,” explaining, “Even though I am a woman, I promise that I spend most of my time fighting inflation.” (AFP)