Supporting gender equality on a daily basis; spotlight on 4 partner associations

“8 March should be a year-round event,” says Julie Bouquin, Operations Manager at DesCodeuses, with conviction. This year’s theme for 8 March is Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality for an Inclusive Digital World.

By 2050, 75% of jobs will be related to science and technology. And yet, today, women occupy only 22% of positions in the artificial intelligence field. Since 2017, the DesCodeuses association has been tackling a twofold challenge: to give women, and in particular women from working-class neighbourhoods and/or undergoing retraining, access to the digital professions. “We train women developers and cybersecurity analysts. A woman who graduates from our training course will see her salary increase by 40%. In our company, we place a premium on skills rather than diplomas. It’s possible to have skills without an engineering degree, and that’s why we work closely with recruitment agencies.” 

The association also aims to combat discrimination in hiring while encouraging more inclusive recruitment and attracting diverse profiles. “The CV of a female developer should not be rejected by an algorithm because of her gender,” says Julie Bouquin.

Only 30% women in tech

At BECOMTECH, a taste for digital technology is developed as early as Year 10 by offering young people the opportunity to learn about digital jobs. “We offer a four-week ‘JUMP IN TECH’ training course during the summer, i.e. a hundred hours for young girls aged 14 to 17, particularly those from disadvantaged neighbourhoods and schools in the priority education network.” They will be able to develop concrete digital skills and test their appetite for the field. “This intensive introduction to digital technology comes before they must choose their career path. With the reform of the baccalaureate today, for a class of 30 students, there are only four to six girls specialising in digital and computer science,” explains Lisa Fouilleul, BECOMTECH’s partnership manager.

After JUMP IN TECH in 2022, 75% of the participants now want to transition into a digital or digital-related sector. “They will also have participated in the development of a solidarity collective where the girls have a common experience and then join the association’s community of Ambassadors to stay connected to each other, help and support each other,” notes Lisa Fouilleul. Before they begin training in tech, where there is a clear lack of women, it is therefore necessary to open up the horizons of young women by offering them safe spaces for expression and experimentation and role models with whom they can identify. To create this positive dynamic, a number of associations, such as BECOMTECH, have decided to foster female-only spaces.

Between women

“La non-mixité n’est pas une fin en soi, c'est un moyen. Dans ces espaces non-mixtes, les jeunes femmes arrivent vraiment davantage à se révéler, à réfléchir à leur force et à ne pas se sentir limitées ou jugées. Dans cet espace protégé, en dehors des stéréotypes, des préjugés, des faire-valoir, on peut faire tomber toutes ses barrières” indique Blandine Clérin, directrice de la communication et du rayonnement Rêv'Elles. Rêv'Elles est une association qui permet aux jeunes filles de quartiers populaires de révéler leur potentiel pour qu’elles puissent s’épanouir personnellement et professionnellement. Intégrer les programmes Rêv'Elles, c’est également permettre à ces jeunes filles d’échanger avec des rôles modèles, d’expérimenter la sororité et de développer leur pouvoir d’agir ou « empowerment ».Descodeuses partage le constat de Rêv’elles. “Nous parlons de communauté d’apprentissage plutôt que d’organisme de formation. Car chez DesCodeuses, la sororité fait partie des conditions de réussite au même titre que les compétences techniques. La solidarité entre les apprenantes est garante du succès de notre formation et de l’insertion professionnelle : aujourd’hui 90% des apprenantes sont en poste. Preuve que seule on va plus vite, ensemble on va plus loin” conclut Julie Bouquin.

“Gathering in female-only spaces is not an end in itself, but a means. In these spaces, young women are able to be much more open, to reflect on their strength and not feel limited or judged. In this safe space, away from stereotypes, prejudices and the focus on appearances, you can break down all your barriers,” says Blandine Clérin, Director of Communications and Outreach at Rêv’Elles. Rêv’Elles is an association that helps young girls from working class neighbourhoods to discover their potential in order to develop personally and professionally. Joining the Rêv’Elles programmes also allows these young girls to interact with role models, to experience sisterhood and to develop their sense of “empowerment”. Descodeuses shares Rêv’elles’ observation. “We talk about a learning community rather than a training organisation. Because at DesCodeuses, success depends on sisterhood as much as technical skills. Solidarity between learners is a guarantee of the success, both in our training programme and in professional integration: today, 90% of our participants are employed. The proof that alone we may go faster, but together we go further,” says Julie Bouquin.

Empowerment with Empow’Her

L’association Empow’Her agit aussi bien en France qu’à l’international avec l’ambition de développer un entrepreneuriat plus inclusif, source d’empowerment pour les femmes et catalyseur de transformation. “Nous travaillons à l’international et nous pouvons constater des difficultés communes entre une femme entrepreneure en France, au Burkina ou encore en Côte d’Ivoire, que ce soit pour accéder à des financements, à un réseau ou tout simplement bénéficier d’un accompagnement prenant en compte les réalités et les contraintes des femmes.” explique Margaux Teuliere, responsable Programmes Afrique de l’Ouest Empow’Her.

Une des spécificités d’Empow’Her, en plus de créer de vraies communautés apprenantes et de s’appuyer sur des rôles modèles ayant bénéficié de son accompagnement, c’est aussi de travailler sur la notion d’échecs et de rebond. “On a des témoignages de femmes incroyables. Une femme dans notre programme a entrepris sept fois avant que son entreprise ne marche. Des témoignages comme ça, c'est ce qui parle le plus. »

The Empow’Her association acts both in France and internationally, with the aim of developing a more inclusive entrepreneurship--a source of empowerment for women and a catalyst for transformation. “We work internationally and we can identify common difficulties faces by women entrepreneurs in France, in Burkina Faso, or in the Ivory Coast, whether they have to do with access financing, a network or simply benefiting from support that takes into account the realities and constraints faced by women,” explains Margaux Teuliere, head of West Africa Programmes at Empow’Her.

One of the things that sets Empow’Her apart, in addition to creating real learning communities and drawing on role models who have benefited from its support, is the opportunity to address our conceptions of failure and comeback. “We have incredible testimonies from women. One woman in our programme undertook seven different ventures before her business took off. Testimonies like this are what speak the loudest.” 

Turning failure into strength

Que ce soit dans un cadre personnel ou professionnel, les femmes font souvent face à un certain nombre de freins, parfois même via de l’auto-censure. « L’échec est présent tout le temps. Il faut arriver à vivre avec et s'en nourrir pour pouvoir rebondir au mieux” souligne Margaux Teuliere. Les actions mises en place par ces différentes associations, donnent aux femmes des outils pour s'affirmer et développer leurs compétences, tout en réduisant les stéréotypes et les préjugés. Mais est-ce suffisant ?

Chez Rêv’Elles, on voit plus loin comme le souligne Blandine Clérin:" Rêv’Elles existe depuis 10 ans. Depuis 5 ans, on mesure vraiment notre impact. On a développé beaucoup de programmes, une approche pédagogique intéressante qui fait ses preuves. Est-ce que notre deuxième challenge pour les 10 ans à avenir ce ne serait pas chercher les pouvoirs publics, le grand public pour les sensibiliser à la parole de ces jeunes femmes et que les frontières invisibles s'ouvrent à elles. »

Whether in personal or professional contexts, women often face a number of obstacles, sometimes even through self-censorship. “Failure is a constant. You have to be able to live with it and grow from it in order to bounce back,” says Margaux Teuliere. The actions carried out by these different associations give women the tools to assert themselves and develop their skills, while reducing stereotypes and prejudices. But is it enough?

The women at Rêv’Elles look further ahead, as Blandine Clérin points out:  “Rêv’Elles has existed for 10 years. Over the past five years, we have really seen our impact. We have developed a range of programmes, a unique pedagogical approach that is proving its worth. Now, our second challenge for the next 10 years might be to address the public authorities and the general public, to make them aware of what these young women have to say and to open invisible borders to them.”