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Law for the Economic Empowerment of Women

The economic situation of women remains unequal to that of men in France. Too many women are subject to “economic violence” within the meaning of the definition in the Istanbul Convention. Too many women depend on the goodwill of their husband or ex-husband, do not have free access to their bank accounts and means of payment, even in France, more women than men find themselves in precarious situations.

Similarly, too few women have access to the best-paid positions, studies with the best pay outcomes, C-level positions on executive boards, business creation and vocational training after maternity leave. The law will include a measure to promote female entrepreneurship and SMEs headed by women through Bpifrance and the Agence des Participations de l’Etat (APE) (inspired by the Women-Owned Small Businesses/Small Business Act in the United States), as well as promoting the Business Angels and financing schemes for female-owned businesses.

Further measures, which have been discussed with economic and social partners, will round out the bill in the coming months.This law will bring about concrete change in favour of gender equality in France as well as the economic development of our country.

Organizea Conference against Domestic Violence

Gender equality is the key cause of the five-year term of the French President. The first measures of the key cause, gender equality, are already bearing fruit: hundreds of fines have been issued for public harassment and there has been a significant increase in the number of reports and complaints filed for sexist and sexual violence.

To better protect women from the violence which has led to the death of over 90 women since the beginning of the year, the Government is organizing a Conference against Domestic Violence on 3September2019. Associations, experts on the ground and many members of local government have been calling for such an event for a long time. It will be an opportunity to mobilize the country on a large scale both at ministerial level, with grassroots players, but also at the level of society as a whole. It will end with the presentation of a national strategy shared by all players.

Improve the means of recovering and use of intermediary agencies for maintenance contributions to support single mothers

Many women who raise their children alone have to deal with unpaid maintenance contributions. This concern was at the heart of the Great National Debate, with tens of workshops being held across France.

Between 2020 and 2021, and without waiting for a first failure to pay maintenance contribution, one of the parties will be able to automatically request assistance from an intermediary agency.

Create a public policy against public harassment

The Act of 3 August 2018 has strengthened the fight against sexist and sexual violence, making France the first country in the world to hand out on-the-spot fines for public harassment.

The measure is effective as is shown by the initial data on convictions:

  • 713 gender-based offences-11 higher-level gender-based offences, (5th-degree offence)
  • 4 group cyber-harassment offences
  • 53 voyeurism offences
  • 391 grave offences due to the presence of a minor
  • A significant increase in the number of individuals obliged to attend reoffence prevention courses: between 1 January 2018 and 30 September 2018, a total of 3,148 individuals were obliged to follow courses versus 457 in 2015;
  • 107 awareness-raising courses against the purchase of sexual services in 2018, versus 4 in the last six months of 2017.