Press release - January 6, 2026
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The Observatoire National des Discriminations et de l'Égalité dans le Supérieur (ONDES) and the Conférence Permanente Égalité et Diversité (CPED) have published the results of the second REMEDE survey, devoted to equality actions implemented in higher education establishments.
A broader national survey
Conducted in June 2025, two years after a first wave, the REMEDE 2 survey gathered responses from 81 institutions, representing 1.4 million students and 207,000 staff, covering almost 45 % of higher education enrolees.
Equality missions now widespread
Today, all establishments have a person in charge of equality and diversity policy, most often reporting directly to the president or senior management. Nearly half of all establishments have a dedicated structure, generally an «equality mission», whose scope of intervention has been considerably extended: gender equality, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), discrimination, LGBTIphobia, racism and anti-Semitism. These missions play a central role in campus development, through numerous awareness-raising and training initiatives, often carried out in partnership.
A sharp rise in reports
By 2024, establishments will be reporting an average of 44 cases a year, compared with 28 in 2022. The main reasons for reporting are moral harassment on the part of staff and VSS on the part of students.
However, only a small proportion of reports lead to sanctions: 6.3 % to a disciplinary sanction and 4.1 % to a judicial sanction, rates which are slightly up.
Insufficient human and financial resources
Despite the expansion of their missions, equality missions have limited resources at their disposal. When they are known, budgets remain modest, and teams are often made up of staff with precarious status. This situation creates a strong disproportion between the scope of the missions entrusted and the resources available.
A worrying climate of hostility
A new fact highlighted by the survey is that almost 40 % of establishments state that their equality missions have been the target of attacks or threats: denigration, insults, intimidation, damage to communication media or campaigns on social networks. These acts contribute to a climate of hostility towards policies that are largely based on legal obligations.