research@hec - Issue#4 - (Page V)

Since the Second World War, there has been a gradual increase—with varying degrees depending on the country—in the number of female employees in the developed world. They are more highly qualified3, and have fully established themselves in the workplace, including in high responsibility posts. Yet, despite this encouraging evolution, inequalities and discriminations persist. There’s a high rate of over-qualification for the posts women occupy, pay differences with male peers, the ‘glass ceiling’ phenomenon, obligatory part-time posts, and so on. These inequalities cannot be attributed purely to the past—Jacqueline Laufer firmly believes that these inequalities seem set to continue. HR and Gender Parity M CAN THE LAW GUARANTEE GENDER PARITY? Laws are necessary but insufficient to deal with professional equality issues. They only work when they lead to changes in practice and produce concrete actions. While the 1946 French Constitution insisted on male–female equality and put an end to discrimination, it didn’t bring about true equality. The 1972 law on equal pay is an excellent example of the limited effects of laws: the promotion of ‘equal work, equal pay’ didn’t put an end to the different professional situations that lead to disparities between male and female wages. Companies have long shifted the blame for the inequalities they perpetuate on society and women onto the education system, the inadaptability of the labour market, the lack of ambition of female employees, family restrictions, and so on. The 2004 Catalyst group survey findings point to a direct correlation between corporate financial performance and the number of female senior executives¹. Does this mean that gender parity has become a reality in companies? Jacqueline Laufer isn’t convinced … Based on an interview with Jacqueline Laufer and on the book she edited and co-wrote with Annie Cornet and Sophia Belghiti-Mahut, GRH et genre : Les défis de l'égalité hommes-femmes (HRM and gender parity issues), published by Vuibert, May 2008. HOW CAN WE ENSURE THE TRANSITION FROM FORMAL EQUALITY TO REAL EQUALITY? The evolution in juridical norms since the mid1970s, especially through European directives4, has provided European countries with solid means to implement professional equality initiatives. The French law of 13 July 1983 (in line with the European Council Directive of 9 February 1976) focused on the principles of equal treatment and equal chances, reinforced women’s rights in many areas, and stressed the legitimacy of ‘affirmative action’: ‘It is not possible to apply identical measures to people in differentiated situations, without perpetuating inequalities’5. We have gradually moved on from seeking legal equality to real equality. The 13 July 1983 law, and that of 9 May 2001 directly involved the companies in the implementation of professional equality. Today, it is obligatory to negotiate annually on professional equality. Since 2002, fourteen branch agreements and 129 company agreements have been signed in France in relation to this issue. (ORSE, French observatory on corporate social responsibility, 2008). WHY IS GENDER PARITY IMPORTANT FOR COMPANIES? The question of gender parity and inequality issues at work has long been approached from the cost angle and the subject has not really inspired mobilization either in the workplace or in society at large. But, the high increase in the employment of women CAREER Jacqueline Laufer has an Advanced Educational Diploma (French DEA) in Sociology from the École Pratique des Hautes Études de Paris and a PhD from Cornell University, and is Professor at Paris HEC’s Human Resource Management department. She also teaches at the University of Geneva and at the IAE de Paris 1. She is presently co-Director of the CNRS network ‘Mage’2. Her research focuses on women in management and on equal opportunities strategies within companies. Jacqueline Laufer is a member of the HALDE (French authority for combating discrimination and promoting equality) consultative committee, and sits on the management board of the Institut Émilie du Châtelet, a scientific institute founded by the Île-de-France regional authority to promote the development and diffusion of research on women, sex, and gender. September-October 2008 • research@hec V http://www.hec.edu/hec/eng/professeurs_recherche/p_liste/p_fiche.php?num=65

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of research@hec - Issue#4

Cover & Contents
What is the role of a research professor?
The Dog That Did Not Bark, by Jacques Olivier
HR and Gender Parity, by Jacqueline Laufer
Transparency and Responsibility, by Martin Messner

research@hec - Issue#4