Higher education and research are not isolated from the rest of society, and as elsewhere, the fight against sexual and gender-based violence must be a priority. Quantitative studies such as the VIRAGE - Violence and gender relations of INED and its Universities allow us to put figures on the phenomenon and analyze the mechanisms involved, some of which are specific to ESR. CPED has been working on this issue for many years through a dynamic internal working group, alongside other associations such as ANEF, CLASCHES and, more recently, JuriSup. It is in favor of multiplying the number of cells for preventing and combating sexist and sexual violence, which have spread to many establishments following impetus from the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. On December 4, 2017, the symposium “Sexist and sexual violence in higher education and research: from awareness to care” co-organized by CPED welcomed the announcements by Minister Frédérique Vidal. Four working groups led by CPED and ANEF, and supported by MESRI, followed up the event with four priorities: support for internal diagnostics, support for the implementation of systems, training and awareness-raising. The results of these working groups were shaped into as many tools made available to establishments on November 25, 2018.

According to MESRI figures, While women accounted for 55.1% of students in higher education in 2016, and although their numbers have increased in engineering and health training, they are still very much in the minority in the most selective courses. They gradually “disappear” from the doctorate level upwards, making up just 37% of tenured teacher-researchers, 44% of lecturers and 24% of university professors. Inequalities in status are also reflected in differences in pay and bonuses. Among non-teaching staff, i.e. those performing administrative, technical or supervisory functions, women account for 63%: 90% among administrative assistants, 76% among librarians and only 37% among research engineers. Women are therefore more common among support staff than among researchers. The notion of the glass ceiling is as operative in the ESR as in other professional environments, but nevertheless responds to complex internal logics. As such, CPED is committed to a specific approach to professional equality, in a field marked by highly heterogeneous statuses and the importance of internal competitions and co-optation logics. In particular, CPED has taken action on the issue of statutory leave for lecturers and other teaching staff working in higher education, which led to a circular on June 7, 2012. The latter harmonized the teaching services of teacher-researchers on maternity leave.

Training for all bodies in the higher education community is an essential prerequisite for disseminating egalitarian best practices: combating sexist and sexual violence, combating stereotypes, reflecting on egalitarian pedagogies... This imperative meets the training obligation introduced by law and then the Interministerial Convention for Equality in the Education System, but also the 5th Interministerial Plan to Prevent and Combat All Forms of Violence Against Women (2017-2019). More recently, the Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation Frédérique Vidal announced on December 4, 2017, at the colloquium on sexist and sexual violence in the ESR co-organized by CPED, her intention to generalize training among ESR staff. Following this announcement, CPED joined forces with ANEF and JuriSup to form VSS-Formation, an independent training network on sexist and sexual violence in the ESR field.

CPED's commitment to gender-stereotype-free corporate communications is cross-functional. In addition to the necessary feminization of titles and functions introduced as early as 1986 by the March 11 circular, we are signatories to the Convention d'engagement pour une communication publique sans stéréotype de sexe (Commitment agreement for gender-stereotype-free public communication) promoted by the Haut Conseil à l'Égalité entre les femmes et les hommes (HCEfh). The latter recommends the systematic inclusion of the feminine gender in texts, and introduces a wider reflection on the representations conveyed in the communication of establishments, at all levels (internal, visual, digital...). Institutional communications must embrace the goal of inclusivity in higher education and research, in order to make visible the women who make it a success, and to encourage a better mix of disciplines and parity of positions.

Raising awareness throughout the higher education and research community is crucial to building a culture of equality. That's why CPED and each of its member establishments are keen to offer a variety of strategies for raising awareness through the exchange of “best practices” between its members: conferences (sometimes made compulsory), but also cultural activities such as forum theaters, exhibitions and screenings are all on the agenda. In most establishments, their calendar is adapted to the key dates of March 8 and November 25, respectively International Women's Rights Day and International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Students also play a vital role in raising awareness: more and more schools are introducing charters for associations to prevent sexist abuses, while referents are being appointed and trained to provide initial support and guidance to victims of sexist and sexual violence.

Gender discrimination isn't the only kind of discrimination that exists in higher education and research. Many members of CPED are involved in several missions alongside their equality mission: racism and anti-Semitism, anti-discrimination, diversity, LGBT, disability... CPED is committed to the fight against all forms of discrimination. An internal working group is entirely dedicated to this task. More recently, the issue of allowing transgender students and staff to change their first name and civil status has been made a priority. Indeed, CPED presented an update on the progress made by institutions in August 2018, at the International Congress of Feminist Research in the Francophonie at the University of Paris Nanterre, and is in dialogue with several LGBTI+ associations and institutions to make progress on this issue.

The institutionalization of feminist, gender and sexuality studies goes hand in hand with the advancement of gender equality issues in the careers of higher education and research staff. It makes it possible to name and quantify the extent of inequalities, and then to inform equality policies aimed at resolving them. This is why CPED supports gender research and helps disseminate its findings, which are essential to public debate.