Study reveals women's role in French works councils

Figures from IRES, the French trade union research organisation, show that while women seem well represented in key positions in French works councils, their real influence may be less than it appears.

A recently re-examined survey from 1995 shows that, while women account for 31% of those working in companies with works councils, 40% of works council secretaries, the key employee-side position, are female. However, this high proportion is the result of the larger number of women works council secretaries in smaller companies. Overall 43% of companies with fewer than 100 employers have a woman works council secretary but in companies with more than 1,000 employees this falls to 20%.

The study also shows that where unions are present works council secretaries were less likely to be women. Women account for only 29% of the unionised works council secretaries (half the total) compared with 50% of the non-unionised. This no doubt in part reflects the higher level of trade union presence in larger companies. But it also indicates that unions have a long way to go in ensuring women's equal access to this key position in the French representative structure.