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Equality (2/3): equality between women and men
Equality between women and men is written in the Preamble of the 1946 Constitution. Women and men have the same rights and the same duties in all areas.
Key points of the sheet
- This covers all parts of life: education, work, health, political life…
- Despite the law, inequalities exist in everyday life. They are weaker than in the past, but they are still present.
- On average, women earn a lower salary than men for the same job and the same working time. There are fewer women than men in management posts.
- Women do a large part of everyday tasks. They spend more time than men on bringing up children.
- Laws have been passed to allow parity in politics. A law from 2000 obliges parties to present as many women as men on their lists. Otherwise, the party pays a fine.
- Women have become more numerous in politics, but there is no parity in top posts. For example, there has never yet been a female President of the French Republic.
Words to know
- Preamble of the 1946 Constitution (Préambule de la Constitution de 1946)
- This text says that the law guarantees women, in all areas, rights equal to those of men.
- parity (parité)
- It is equality between women and men in political responsibilities.
- lists of candidates (listes de candidats)
- Since a law from 2000, parties must put as many women as men on them, or they pay a fine.
- inequalities (inégalités)
- They still exist in everyday life, but they are weaker than in the past.
Test yourself: 3 questions
What year is the law from that obliges parties to present as many women as men?
In French, the language of the exam: De quelle année date la loi qui oblige les partis à présenter autant de femmes que d'hommes ?
A law from 2000 obliges parties to present as many women as men on their lists of candidates.
What must a party do if it does not respect parity on its lists?
In French, the language of the exam: Que doit faire un parti qui ne respecte pas la parité sur ses listes ?
A party that does not respect this obligation must pay a fine.
On average, for the same job, women's salary is:
In French, the language of the exam: En moyenne, pour le même métier, le salaire des femmes est :
On average, women earn a lower salary than men for the same job and the same working time.
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Questions on the ministry's list that rest on this sheet
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Source
Sheet “L'égalité (2/3)” of the French Ministry of the Interior: formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr. Content published under the Etalab Open Licence 2.0. This page is a plain-language adaptation made by Hexaciv, which is not an official site: if in doubt, the ministry's text is the one that counts.
Ministry sheet read on 23 October 2026, still identical on 25 October 2026.