BREAK GENDER STEREOTYPES, GIVE TALENT A CHANCE

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1 BREAK GENDER STEREOTYPES, GIVE TALENT A CHANCE Review of the national situation for the purpose of the workshop in FRANCE 2008 Document produced in the framework of the Contract "Raising the awareness of companies about combating gender stereotypes", commissioned by the European Commission to the International Training Centre of the ILO in partnership with EUROCHAMBRES. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the position or opinion of the European Commission. Neither the Commission nor any person acting on its behalf is responsible for the use that might be made of the information contained in this report. RAISING THE AWARENESS OF COMPANIES ABOUT COMBATING GENDER STEREOTYPES

2 This document is supported by the European Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity ( ). This programme was established to financially support the implementation of the objectives of the European Union in the employment and social affairs area, as set out in the Social Agenda, and thereby contribute to the achievement of the Lisbon Strategy goals in these fields. The seven year Programme targets all stakeholders who can help shape the development of appropriate and effective employment and social legislation and policies, across the EU 27, EFTA and EU candidate and pre candidate countries. The programme has six general objectives: (1) to improve the knowledge and understanding of the situation prevailing in the Member States (and in other participating countries) through the analysis, evaluation and close monitoring of policies; (2) to support the development of statistical tools and methods and common indicators, where appropriate broken down by gender and age group, in the areas covered by the programme; (3) to support and monitor the implementation of Community law, where applicable, and policy objectives in the Member States, and assess their effectiveness and impact; (4) to promote networking, mutual learning, identification and dissemination of good practices and innovative approaches at EU level; (5) to enhance the awareness of the stakeholders and the general public about the EU's policies and objectives pursued under each of the policy sections; (6) to boost the capacity of key EU networks to promote, support and further develop EU policies and objectives, where applicable. For further information, see: The information contained in this document does not necessarily reflect the position or opinion of the European Commission. Copyright European Commission RAISING THE AWARENESS OF COMPANIES ABOUT COMBATING GENDER STEREOTYPES

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword STATISTICS SITUATION AND STEREOTYPES Women in the Labour Market Occupational Segregation The Role of SMEs Gender Stereotypes SUCCESS STORIES SUPPORT ACRONYMS LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Statistical data... 3 Table 2: Country Segregation Index Table 3: Concentration of men and women in sectors of activities 2005 (NACE two digit)... 6 Table 4: Occupational patterns of women s and men s employment 2005 (ISCO three digit)... 7 Table 5: Distribution of managers by sex in EU Member States 2001 and 2006 (%)... 8 RAISING THE AWARENESS OF COMPANIES ABOUT COMBATING GENDER STEREOTYPES 1

4 FOREWORD Does the European economy manage to make full use of its human capital? This document intends to contribute to this discussion, from the perspective of gender equality. This document has been prepared in the framework of the contract Raising the awareness of companies about combating gender stereotypes commissioned by the European Commission, Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities to the International Training Centre of the ILO in partnership with the association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry (EUROCHAMBRES). The initiative, which involves Chambers of Commerce and SME organizations in 15 EU Countries 1, aims to help SMEs discover how overcoming gender stereotypes can have a positive impact on productivity and competitiveness. On this purpose, 15 workshops on Break Gender Stereotypes, Give Talent a Chance are organized for business relays and SME managers in the selected countries. The Country Reviews do not have the ambition to give an exhaustive picture of gender issues in the labour markets of the 15 countries. They rather aim to enrich the workshops and the tools presented therein with country specific information. They collect up to date statistical data and qualitative information on the different ways in which women and men enter and progress into employment and occupations in the various countries. In addition, information on existing legislative provisions, public and private initiatives and good practices is provided. Suggestions on the impact of gender stereotypes are also offered, to initiate dialogue and action at enterprise level. The final aim is to offer concrete suggestions on how SMEs in the selected countries can overcome gender stereotypes and tap the business potential of gender equality. 1 Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain RAISING THE AWARENESS OF COMPANIES ABOUT COMBATING GENDER STEREOTYPES 2

5 1. STATISTICS Table 1: Statistical data Demography and Employment France EU27 Men Women Total Men Women Total 1. Total population 2007 (figure in 1000) 30,804 32,588 63, , , ,128 (Figure in %) Life expectancy 2005 (%) : 3. Fertility rates 2005 (%) b 4. Employment rate 2007 (%) Unemployment Rate 2007 (%) Activity rate 2007 (%) Youth unemployment rate 2007 (%) Long term unemployment rate 2007 (%) Part time work 2006 (%) Employees 2007q04 (1000) 11,792 11,273 23,065 97,388 86, , Self employment 2007q04 (1000) ,435 15,491 7,417 22, Entrepreneurs 2007q04 (1000) ,152 7,574 2,375 9, Average hourly pay 2002 (in euro) c c c 14. Gender Pay gap in unadjusted form 2006 g 11 p Participation in decision making 2007 National Parliaments (%) President in largest publicly quoted companies (%) Member of highest decision making body in largest publicly quoted companies (%) GEM Value : GEM Rank : 16. Graduations of women and men in tertiary education 2004 ISCED 5 (%) c 59.2 c 100 c (Ratio Women/Men) c ISCED 6 (%) c 43.2 c 100 c (Ratio Women/Men) c 17. Single headed households, 2005 (%) : 14 c 14 c : 18. Children in childcare aged 0 2 years, 1 29hrs/30+hrs 2006 (%) 19. Children in childcare aged 3 to mandatory school ages, 1 29hrs/30+hrs 2006 (%) 14/17 14/12 52/42 44/40 NOTES: a 2004, b 2005, c EU25, d 2007, e Estimation, g The Pay Gap is the difference between men's and women's average gross hourly earnings as percentage of men's average gross hourly earnings (for paid employees), p Provisional, : No data RAISING THE AWARENESS OF COMPANIES ABOUT COMBATING GENDER STEREOTYPES 3

6 Source: European Commission, Indicators for monitoring the Employment Guidelines including indicators for additional employment analysis, 2008 compendium. Except: 1, 10, 11, 12: Eurostat Database 2, 3: Eurostat News Release, A statistical illustration of the situation of women and men in the EU27, 32/2007, March 2007 and UNDP, Human Development Report 2007/08, Table 1 13: Eurostat, «Salaires bruts en Europe, Principaux résultats de l enquête sur la structure des salaires 2002», Statistiques en bref, population et conditions sociales, 12/2005, Communautés européennes, : European Commission, DG EMPL, Database on women and men in decision making and the Human Development Report 2007/2008 (for the GEM rank and value) 16, 17: European Commission, The life of women and men in Europe A statistical portrait, Luxembourg, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, , 19 (EU27 data): Commission of the European Communities, Commission staff working document accompanying document to the Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions Implementation of the Barcelona objectives concerning childcare facilities for pre school age children, Brussels, {COM (2008) 598} RAISING THE AWARENESS OF COMPANIES ABOUT COMBATING GENDER STEREOTYPES 4

7 2. SITUATION AND STEREOTYPES 2.1. WOMEN IN THE LABOUR MARKET Women s growing activity constitutes one of the major social changes in the second half of the 20th century in France. Around 47% of the employed population in France is female 2. Male and female employment ratios are growing closer: women s on an increasing trend and men s are on a decreasing one. The activity rate of women aged 25 to 54 years is continuously increasing in France, exceeding 82% in , while the male activity rate for the same age group of men is decreasing. Women s share in salaried employment is at its highest in companies with less than 10 employees. However, women are more affected by unemployment than men. In 2003, women represented 48.5% of the unemployed 4. At the end of 2007, unemployment reached 8.5% of the female active population, compared with 7.4% for men. As mentioned in Table 1, unemployment is particularly high for young people aged between 15 and 24, standing at 19.6% for women and 18% for men. Gender analysis reveals that for equal qualifications, jobs are not equal. A young man with a bachelor degree will have a 17% chance after ten years of professional experience to have a managerial position as opposed to an 8% chance for a young woman 5. Despite the fact that prestigious jobs have been gradually obtained by women, the majority of women work as salaried employees OCCUPATIONAL SEGREGATION Occupational gender segregation refers to differences between genders in employment occupations. Despite the reduction of the gender employment gap in most EU countries in recent years, employment in the EU remains segregated. Women are over represented in some occupations and economic sectors, such as services and care professions, and under represented in others, such as scientists and engineers. As a consequence of segregated labour markets there is an under representation of women in crucial sectors for economic development. The French labour market remains gender segregated in occupations and sectors of activity. The rates of gender segregation in France are close to the EU averages, standing at 17.6 in economic sectors and 26.3 in occupations, as indicated in Table 2 below. These indexes measure gender segregation in the labour market; the higher the value of both indexes, the higher the segregation biased against women. However, as with all indicators, the index should be interpreted within a specific context as well as its individual components and care should be taken in cross country comparisons and EU averages. 2 European Commission, The life of women and men in Europe A statistical portrait, Office for Official Publications of the EC, 2008 Edition, pp.54 3 European Commission, DG employment, social affairs and equal opportunities, Indicators for monitoring the employment guidelines including indicators for additional employment analysis, 2008 compendium, pp.21 4 United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Member States Responses to the Questionnaire on Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (1995) and the Outcome of the Twenty Third Special Session of the General Assembly (2000) FRANCE 5 Les inégalités salariales entre les hommes et les femmes Rapport d'information sur l'activité de la délégation aux droits des femmes et à l'égalité des chances entre les hommes et les femmes pour l'année 2002, Internet web site of the Sénat, 210/r html. RAISING THE AWARENESS OF COMPANIES ABOUT COMBATING GENDER STEREOTYPES 5

8 Table 2: Country Segregation Index Gender segregation in occupations Gender segregation in economic sectors France EU Source: European Commission, DG employment, social affairs and equal opportunities, Indicators for monitoring the Employment Guidelines including indicators for additional employment analysis, 2008 compendium, pp Men and women in France are concentrated in different sectors of activities, indicated by the Table 3. Women are highly concentrated in health and social work, education, retail trade, public administration and business activities. These 5 sectors account for almost 57% of women employed, while men are less concentrated in specific sectors than women. The sectors with highest concentration of men are construction, public administration and business activities. It is worth noting the low proportion of women working in typical male sectors such as construction, industry and agriculture. Table 3: Concentration of men and women in sectors of activities 2005 (NACE two digit) 7 % of women employed FR EU25 % of men employed FR EU25 Health & Social work Construction Education Public administration Retail trade Business activities Public administration Retail trade Business activities Wholesale trade Private households Health & Social work Hotels & restaurants Agriculture Wholesale trade Land transport Agriculture Education Manufacture food & beverages Hotels & restaurants Financial intermediation Manufacture food & beverages Other service activities Vehicle sale & repair Cultural & sporting activities Metal products Construction Machinery Top Top Note: Persons aged 15 years and over. No distinction is made between private and public sectors. The top six are according to the EU average which may not coincide with the top six in each country. In the adaptation we have made we have ordered the sectors according to the country importance, but some important sectors might not appear. Source: Adapted from The concentration of women and men in Sectors of Activity, Statistics in Focus publication (Population and Social Conditions, 53/2007 NACE 2 digit), and for a comparison with EU aggregated data see European Business: Facts and figures 2008, IBSN available from the Eurostat web page. 6 The concentration of men and women in different occupations and economic sectors is measured with an occupational segregation index. Gender segregation in occupations is calculated as the average national share of employment for women and men applied to each occupation; differences are added up to produce the total amount of gender imbalance expressed as a proportion of total employment. Gender segregation in economic sectors is calculated as the average national share of employment for women and men applied to each sector; differences are added up to produce the total amount of gender imbalance expressed as a proportion of total employment. The higher the value of both indexes, the higher the segregation biased against women. In the case of France, with respect to the EU average, occupational and sectorial segregation seems to be a little bit lower. However, as with all indicators, the index should be interpreted within a specific context as well as its individual components and care should be taken in cross country comparisons. 7 NACE is an international classification of economic activities. The digits indicate the level of disaggregation. The higher the number of digits the more level of disaggregation. RAISING THE AWARENESS OF COMPANIES ABOUT COMBATING GENDER STEREOTYPES 6

9 Table 4 shows how women and men concentrate in different occupations in France and the EU. As in the rest of the EU, in France women tend to concentrate into fewer occupations than men. Most women work as domestic helpers, carers, salespersons, secretaries and administrative workers. Many of these professions are traditionally considered to be feminine (nurses, child care) and are often undervalued in society and thus less well paid. Their pay often does not reflect their real value, physical difficulty and responsibility. Men concentrate in much more occupations than women, mainly as technicians, engineers, trade workers, department managers and architects. These occupations are generally better paid and have more social recognition than the occupations in which women are concentrated. The occupational segregation observed corresponds to traditional gender stereotypes, such as men being providers and women carers. Table 4: Occupational patterns of women s and men s employment 2005 (ISCO three digit) 8 % of women employed FR EU25 % of men employed FR EU25 Domestic & related helpers, cleaners & launderers Physical & engineering science technicians Personal care & related workers Motor vehicle drivers Shop salespersons & demonstrators Building frame & related trades workers Secretaries & keyboard operating clerks Architects, engineers & related professionals Administrative associate professionals Production & operations department managers Nursing & midwifery associate professionals Finance & sales associate professionals Finance & sales associate professionals Building finishers & related trades workers Other office clerks Machinery mechanics & fitters professionals Managers of small enterprises Managers of small enterprises Housekeeping & restaurant services workers Shop salespersons & demonstrators Top 6 in each country Top 6 in each country NOTE: The top six occupations are listed according to the EU average, and may not coincide with the top six in each country. In the adaptation the occupations are ordered according to the country importance, but some important occupations might not appear. Source: Adapted from The concentration of women and men in Sectors of Activity, Statistics in Focus, Population and Social Conditions 53/2007. Men dominate managerial positions in the private sector in France, as can be seen in Table 5 below. Although the proportion of female managers in the private sector in France is considerably higher than the EU average, women only account for 38.5% of managers in the private sector. In France, as in the rest of Europe, women earn on average around 15% less than men across all occupations 9. Despite efforts to eliminate this gender pay gap, inequalities in the pay system continue to exist. This can be partially explained by the fact that women work in sectors that are less remunerated than those where men work. 8 ISCO is an international classification of occupations. The digits also indicate the level of disaggregation: The higher the number of digits the more level of disaggregation. 9 European Commission, The life of women and men in Europe A statistical portrait, Office for Official Publications of the EC, 2008 Edition, pp.93 RAISING THE AWARENESS OF COMPANIES ABOUT COMBATING GENDER STEREOTYPES 7

10 Women traditionally take more care of households and children than men, and in order to respond to their family responsibilities they often chose part time employment. However, even when women obtain managerial positions, their salaries are lower than those of men with equal responsibilities. The pay gap between women and men is smaller in the French public sector where in 2005 the average salary for women was 13.8% lower than men s. Nonetheless, independently of the sector of activity, it is interesting to note that the salary gap is higher amongst the most senior ranked employees 10. Table 5: Distribution of managers by sex in EU Member States 2001 and 2006 (%) Women Men Women Men France EU NOTE: EU aggregate for 2001 is the value for EU 25 and not EU 27. Source: Adapted from the Report on equality between women and men, pp.32. (European Commission, ISCO 12 and 13) 2.3. THE ROLE OF SMES SMEs are a major part of the French economy. The 2.4 million SMEs in France represent 99.8% of the total enterprises, excluding agriculture, in industry, commerce and services, financial activities, real estate rentals and administration 11. SMEs employ 7.9 million people, account for 65% of total assets and for 51% of turnover (or sales). SMEs employ over two thirds of the total labour force, both as salaried and nonsalaried employees 12. SMEs in France do not have a large share of exports or investments: the industry, commerce and services category is accountable for only 28% of the exports and 36% of the investments. However, SMEs have a major weight in two sectors: the construction and public works (88% of employment and 53% of added value) and commerce (75% of employment and 39% of added value). Regarding geographical coverage of SMEs in France, most are based in the south of the country 13. Under current gender patterns of the labour market in France, women are segregated at two levels: horizontally, as they are more concentrated than men in selected sectors of the economy and vertically, as they occupy fewer positions of responsibility than men. The lack of workers in growing sectors where men predominate, such as the construction industry combined with increased numbers of women graduates from study fields perceived as being masculine, are factors that might bring about changes in the future gender patterns of the labour force in SMEs. 10 Commentaires de la Commission d'experts pour l'application des conventions et recommandations (CEACR), Demande directe individuelle concernant la Convention (n 100) sur l'égalité de rémunération, 1951 France (ratification: 1953) Expédition: 2008, Organisation Internationale du Travail. 11 Delphine Irac, The contribution of small and medium sized enterprises to growth, A review of the literature, Macroeconomic Analysis and Forecasting Directorate, Analysis and Forecasts Division, Banque de France Bulletin Excerpts from the September 2007 issue, pp.2 12 Rapport fait au nom de la commission des finances, de l économie générale et du plan sur le projet de loi de finances pour 2003 (n 230), par M. Gilles Carrez, rapporteur général, député, enregistré à la présidence de l'assemblée nationale le 10 octobre Annexe n 17 économie, finances et industrie : PME, commerce et artisanat, par M. Jean Jacques Descamps, rapporteur spécial 13 «Carte d identité des PME», Etudes et Statistiques, Entreprises en Bref, N 9, Ministère de l économie, des finances et de l industrie, janvier 2003 RAISING THE AWARENESS OF COMPANIES ABOUT COMBATING GENDER STEREOTYPES 8

11 2.4 GENDER STEREOTYPES Gender stereotyping is the generalisation of what it means to be male or female, what roles, occupations and work is appropriate to women and men, often justified by tradition, and inaccurate generalisations arising from the limitations in choice for men and women. It diminishes the opportunities of women and men in the workplace, and reinforces inequalities experienced by women in access to resources, power and respect. Cultural factors such as gender stereotypes can also explain differences in the labour market between men and women. Traditionally, women have acted as housewives and sacrificed their work life in order to take care of their families. Still today the common stereotype in society is to view women as mothers in charge of house chores and they occupy fewer high ranked and better remunerated jobs than men. Nonetheless, women are more qualified than men: 58% of European graduates are women 14. Two factors could then explain women s lesser pay despite their higher qualifications. First, girls predominantly chose less well paid professions, which will influence their future careers. Secondly, women s careers are frequently interrupted by maternity leaves or periods of part time employment. Consequently women reach more rarely than men jobs with the highest pay and responsibilities. However, in France and other EU and developed world countries the trend of cohabiting heterosexual couples where women have the higher income is growing. 14 Women, science and technology: measuring recent progress towards gender equality, Statistics in focus, Science and Technology, Theme 9 6/2004, Eurostat, European Communities, ISSN RAISING THE AWARENESS OF COMPANIES ABOUT COMBATING GENDER STEREOTYPES 9

12 3. SUCCESS STORIES In France, a series of successful initiatives have been promoted by both public administrations and private companies to encourage gender equality. These initiatives have taken place at national, regional and local level and some of the most successful are cited below. Égalité Label The Égalité label 15 rewards enterprises that implement active measures to promote equality between women and men. Created in 2004 by the Ministry in charge of women rights and equality between women and men, the label rewards companies that prove successful in implementing policies that foster gender equality in their human resources. Since 2006 it is also open to SMEs as well as large companies as its terms of reference have been adapted to companies with less than 50 employees. This label is awarded by an independent organisation and 38 enterprises (mainly large companies) have been labelled so far, covering a total of 634,070 employees. Guarantee fund for women entrepreneurs One of the best practices to foster women entrepreneurship at national level has been a guarantee fund for women entrepreneurs 16. This fund is dedicated to the creation, take over or development of enterprises by women and serves as a Government incentive to foster women s entrepreneurship in France. The government acts as a guarantor vis à vis for the banking system to facilitate the provision of loans to women entrepreneurs. Prize of the scientific and technical vocation This initiative 17 entices women to opt for scientific and technical educational tracks. As part of its policy to diversify educational choices for young girls, the French government organizes each year a prize which offers 1,000 Euros to each girl that chooses scientific and technical tertiary educational track. In addition to these examples, it is interesting to note that intermediary organisations are increasing measures to promote professional gender equality between women and men and to sensitise towards existing stereotypes and train enterprises willing to adopt equality measures. For example AGEFOS PME, in the region Champagne Ardennes, is an organisation able to collect funds for training in firms that are in the process of obtaining the Égalité label. In the regions of Provence, Alps and Côte d Azur (PACA) in 2003, five Chambers for professions and handicrafts created an initiative to help women gain access to handicraft and trade sectors where they are underrepresented (less than 25% 18 ). This initiative also aims to inform and support future apprentices to choose professions where women are rarely employed. It entails making presentations in schools, producing and disseminating brochures, setting up contacts with enterprises and establishing a follow up mechanism with the objective to identify potential barriers. 500 enterprises took part in a research study to 15 More information at: solidarite.gouv.fr/espaces/femmes egalite/grands dossiers/promotion egaliteprofessionnelle/incitations agir.html 16 More information at 17 More information at solidarite.gouv.fr/espaces/femmes egalite/grands dossiers/education egalite/prix vocation scientifiquetechnique filles pvst.html?var_recherche=prix%20vocation%20filles 18 emploi.fr RAISING THE AWARENESS OF COMPANIES ABOUT COMBATING GENDER STEREOTYPES 10

13 unveil the barriers to hiring women in professions traditionally inaccessible to women. As an example, the results obtained included a higher number of contracts for women in bakeries. There have also been a number of initiatives in the private sector to promote equal opportunities. These actions have been carried out mainly by large companies, many of which are recipients of the Égalité label, and have taken place in areas such as recruitment, training, promotion and remuneration. Some companies have set recruitment quotas for sectors, occupations and/or positions that have a strong male connotation. These practices refer to sectors which traditionally do not employ women (metallurgy), to occupations which are traditionally male (welders) or to higher responsibilities in an enterprise hierarchy usually given to men. Enterprises that have implemented these measures include EADS and BNP Paribas. Alternatively, some companies such as Eau de Paris and PSA Peugeot Citroën have set quotas to ensure a certain proportion of female candidates. Other practices consist in developing facilities allowing women to work (toilets, installing machinery to handle heavy equipment), which in fact end up facilitating the work of both women and men (EDF, Gaz de France). Women generally benefit less from training; either because they are employed in sectors for which less training is needed or because they are employed on temporary and part time contracts more frequently than men. PSA Peugeot Citroën has established quotas for women employees to be trained while Eau de Paris has elaborated a training plan in partnership with technical education institutes or training centre aimed at attracting women. Female employees are present mostly at subordinate or intermediate hierarchical positions and often fail to reach decision making positions, a phenomenon referred to as the glass ceiling. Good practices in the area of promotion include special efforts directed at promoting women in higher positions such as setting a percentage to be attained within a set timeframe or promoting women in technical jobs traditionally occupied by men (Caisse d Epargne, BNP Paribas). Other actions include ensuring the presence of both women and men as members of commissions in charge of deciding who is being promoted (Eau de Paris); proposing diplomas equivalent for life experience to less educated employees, who tend to be predominantly women, thus giving them a chance to be promoted (La Poste). RAISING THE AWARENESS OF COMPANIES ABOUT COMBATING GENDER STEREOTYPES 11

14 4. SUPPORT The basic legislation concerning gender equality in France is: Law of February 11, 1950 for equal work, equal salary Law of 22 December 22, 1972 for work of equal value Law of July 11, 1975 prohibiting sex or family life discrimination (Penal Code) Under the influence of EU legislation, the following laws were passed: Law of August 4, 1982, art. L et s. Labour Code (anc. L ) Law of July 13, 1983 Law Roudy : collective negotiation on professional equality (ends in failure) Starting in 2000, several texts to promote gender equality in France were launched, including: Law of May 9, 2001 Law Génisson obligation to negotiate on professional equality ANI March 1, 2004 on professional equality Law of March 23, 2006: law on equal salary aimed at making the salary gap disappear before 2010 (decision of the Constitutional Council against quotas for boards of directors) May 1, 2008, new labour code offering more visibility to equality and to non discrimination Law of May 27, 2008: law offering various ways to adapt to European community law in combating discriminations Plans for future gender equality legislation and policies include: A report of the Superior Council of professional equality in autumn 2008: A national conference on equality in autumn 2008: Introduction of financial sanctions to those that don t comply to gender equality measures A round table on part time labour Reform of parental holiday RAISING THE AWARENESS OF COMPANIES ABOUT COMBATING GENDER STEREOTYPES 12

15 ACRONYMS EC European Commission EU European Union EU25 The 25 Member Countries of the European Union (from May 2004 to December 2006) EU27 The 27 Member Countries of the European Union (as from January 2007) FR France GDP Gross Domestic Product GEM Gender Empowerment Measure GNP Gross National Product ISCED International Standard Classification of Education ISCO International Standard Classification of Occupations NACE Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community NGO Non governmental Organization SMEs Small and Medium Enterprises UNDP United Nations Development Program RAISING THE AWARENESS OF COMPANIES ABOUT COMBATING GENDER STEREOTYPES 13