Madam Minister,
The creation of new establishments is underway as part of the December 12, 2018 order on experimenting with new ways of bringing together, grouping or merging higher education and research establishments.
We feel it's important that this creation, which is resolutely focused on the future of higher education, is in line with societal developments, and in particular with the importance now attached to equality between men and women, announced by the French President as a priority for the next five years.
The statutes of these new establishments, which must be published in the Official JournalThese are important and symbolic texts, which must reflect the requirement for equality between men and women. Unfortunately, to date, the MESRI regulations department has refused to allow the use of terms such as "president" or "director" in these statutes. The argument put forward is as follows: "in accordance with the Prime Minister's circular of November 21, 2017 on the rules for feminizing and drafting texts published in the Official Journal of the French RepublicThe masculine is a neutral form that should be used in regulatory texts for terms that are likely to apply equally to men and women.
We feel it's important to point out that this argument runs counter to those of the Haut Conseil à l'Égalité entre les femmes et les hommes (High Council for Equality between Women and Men). (A practical guide to gender-neutral public communication, 2015, 2016), and the Committee of Ministers' European recommendations to member states (on eliminating sexism from language - February 21, 1990; on preventing and combating sexism - March 27, 2019). The Académie française itself, in its February 28, 2019 report, considers that "as in the case of trade names, the language must faithfully transcribe the exercise by women of functions and offices to which for a long time they have not had access". In the circular of November 21, 2017, the Prime Minister subscribes to this recommendation with regard to vacancy notices or acts of recruitment, which makes his refusal for establishment statutes hardly legible. The MESRI regulatory department's interpretation does not seem to be shared by all ministries.This is reflected in the wording of Decree no. 2019-134 of February 26, 2019 on the composition and operation of the High Council for Equality between Women and Men.
Finally, this response contradicts the far-reaching changes in public policy in recent years. Whether it's the law on the transformation of the civil service, or the "professional equality" label awarded to the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, the momentum generated calls for action to facilitate women's access to positions of responsibility. Yet research has shown that the invisibility of women, including through language, is a real obstacle to equal access. Higher education and research establishments, by virtue of their mission of transmitting and developing knowledge, have a particular responsibility in moving towards equality.
For all these reasons, it would be highly desirable to allow and even encourage all establishments - including those governed by the Ordinance of December 12, 2018 - to use formulas such as "the president" and "the director" in their bylaws. We look forward to your support in this endeavor.
Best regards,
Rozenn Texier-Picard, President of CPED