Why does money matter for gender equality?
Starting in October we teamed up with Les Glorieuses to talk about why money matters for gender equality. There is a desperate need for more transparency when it comes to these discussions and our goal is to provide a global perspective.
Today we’re sharing our interview with Arièle Bonte, writer of the Glorious & Cash newsletter, so you can get to know Les Glorieuses better and learn more about the #5novembre16h47movement.
How did the 5novembre16h47 movement start?
The movement was inspired by a movement in Iceland; In 1975 25,000 women across the country went on strike to highlight wage inequality between men and women and “demonstrate the indispensable work of women for Iceland’s economy and society”. Strikes were held again in 2005, 2008 and 2016.
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Rebecca Amsellem, founder of Les Glorieuses, started the French movement three years ago when she heard about Iceland’s 2016 women’s labour protest. In 2016, women earned 15.5% less than men (Eurostat numbers) in France. So from 7 November at 4:34 pm women started to work “for free”. Every year, Les Glorieuses update the title and time of the movement to reflect the current data of gender-based wage inequality in France: 3 November (2017), 6 November (2018) and this year, the 4 November at 4:47 pm.
What is the focus of the movement, and of Glorious and Cash?
The idea is to bring to the table the problem of wage inequality in France and to ask the government to take serious steps to combat the issue through 3 main actions:
- A wage equality certificate for companies
- Income transparency
- A paternity leave equivalent at the maternity leave
Do you believe we will see gender equality and a closing of the wealth gap in France anytime soon?
If the government and companies apply these actions, we really think that it will have the power to close the gap between men and women. It is also a question of culture and we think that our newsletter has the power to help women to better understand the society and the economy they live in. Knowledge is power.
Why was it important to partner with Women’s March Global and tell the story of women and wealth globally?
As a feminist, I believe I’m fighting not for myself but for every woman and marginalised group. I want people to understand their power and to be able to use it to change the world we are living in. That’s why we need to think globally and not only focus on France and French women because our decisions affect so much more than us and our country. It affects other people, our earth or our environment.
To partner with Women’s March Global seems natural to me because we share these values and Women’s March Global brings an intersectional point of view on these topics. We need to show that as women and activists, we stick together and respect and value our differences.
Maya Hendler is the Programmes and Communications Associate at Women’s March Global.
