Gender inequalities in France affect several areas, including family life, education, employment, health, and political participation.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) monitors gender disparities through the Gender Inequality Index (GII), which evaluates reproductive health, empowerment, and labor market participation.

Family sphere Women in France perform approximately 64% of household labor. Between 1966 and 1986, men's participation in domestic tasks increased slightly but has remained largely unchanged since. Task distribution becomes more unequal in households with two or more children, with men's involvement decreasing by about 10%. A study by INED reports that 30% of men primarily manage household chores; however, this figure does not include the 15% of children involved in family court proceedings following separation, in which fathers may take on increased caregiving and domestic responsibilities. According to a 2010 INSEE study, women spend an average of 3 hours and 26 minutes per day on domestic tasks, compared to 2 hours for men.

Child custody is contested in approximately 18% of divorces. In about 90% of cases, custody is awarded to the mother, with few fathers requesting custody. Custody is awarded to fathers in about 8% of cases. Post-divorce, women experience a greater decline in standard of living compared to men. Following separation, approximately one-third of women and one-half of men enter new partnerships. Shared custody arrangements are becoming more common and now account for about 10% of divorce cases.

Leisure time and unpaid work In 2010, women in France spent an average of 3 hours and 46 minutes per day on leisure activities, compared to 4 hours and 24 minutes for men. This difference is primarily attributed to disparities in time spent on activities such as gaming, internet use, and sports.

According to sociologist (2020), in households with children, men worked an average of 51 hours per week, with two-thirds of that time being paid work. Women worked an average of 54 hours per week, with two-thirds of that time consisting of unpaid work.

Professional sphere Women obtained the legal right to work without spousal authorization under the , which came into effect on 1 February 1966.

As of recent data (excluding Mayotte), 68.2% of women aged 15–64 were active in the labor market, compared to 75.8% of men in the same age group.

According to a CFTC report, 49% of women reported that having a child significantly affected their employment situation, compared to 14% of men. These effects may include job changes, reductions in working hours, or parental leave.

Unemployment In 2007, women represented 45% of the active workforce (approximately 11.2 million) and had an unemployment rate of 9.1%, compared to 7.8% for men. By 2012, unemployment rose to 10% for women and 9.7% for men. Since 2014, the male unemployment rate has exceeded that of women, according to INSEE data.

Employment Approximately half of all women are employed. Women represent 76% of employees but only 18% of manual workers. In the private sector, two-thirds of executive roles are held by men. Fewer than 20% of business leaders are women.

Around 11% of women hold temporary positions—such as fixed-term contracts, or subsidized jobs—compared to 8% of all employees.

Parenthood is reported as a factor that may influence employment trajectories. Some studies indicate that pregnancy and maternity leave can affect career progression.

Salary

In 2021, the average annual salary in the private sector was €18,630 for women and €24,640 for men, reflecting a 24.4% gap. This difference is partially attributed to variations in working hours, job types, and the prevalence of part-time work, which accounted for approximately 40% of the wage gap in 2017. When adjusted to full-time equivalents, the average wage gap was 15.5% in 2021, down from 17.5% in 2016.

The wage gap tends to increase with age: it was 4.6% at age 25 and rose to 27.5% among those over 60. Differences in working time decrease with age, from 20% under age 25 to 10% between ages 25 and 60.

For workers, women earned 14.3% less than men for equivalent hours and worked 23.3% fewer hours. Among employees, women earned 4.7% less for similar hours and had nearly equal working time. The pay gap for equal hours was 16.1% among executives and 12.2% among intermediate professions, with women in these groups also working fewer hours (4.7% and 10.9%, respectively).

For equivalent positions and working hours, the wage gap was 4.3%, though occupational segregation—such as differences in sector and employer—affects this figure.

In the public sector, the overall gender wage gap was 14%. Among executives, the gap was 23%; among workers, 17%; and among employees, 7%.

For full-time salaried positions, the gender wage gap declined from 29.4% in 1976 to 16.3% in 2017. The gap narrowed steadily until 1980, remained largely stable until 2000, and began to decrease again thereafter, though part-time employment among women influenced this trend.

Part-time work Approximately 30% of women in France work part-time, compared to 5% of men. Of the 4.1 million part-time workers, 83% are women. The prevalence of part-time work among women is closely associated with the presence of young children in the household. Among part-time workers, 28% of women and 42% of men report working part-time involuntarily, indicating a preference for more working hours.

Skilled jobs and hierarchical positions Women are more frequently employed in lower-skilled positions. In 2018, 25.9% of employed women held unskilled employee or laborer roles, compared to 15% of men. Conversely, 15.7% of employed women held executive positions, compared to 20.8% of men.

Occupational segregation remains a key characteristic of the labor market. Service-related occupations, as well as teaching and cleaning jobs, are predominantly held by women. Highly skilled positions in the tertiary sector are more gender-balanced.

Studies have found that women face more obstacles than men in accessing promotions and salary increases, a phenomenon referred to as the "glass ceiling."

The requires companies with more than 500 employees or annual revenues above €50 million to appoint at least 40% women to their boards of directors and supervisory boards. This requirement was later extended to include mutual insurance organizations under the insurance code. As a result, women comprised 26% of board members in the 120 largest publicly traded companies in 2013, increasing to 43.6% by 2019.

The Rixain Law, adopted in 2021, aims to increase women's representation in economic and professional leadership. It includes provisions for:

An index to measure gender equality in higher education programs; Quotas for leadership positions in large companies: 30% of executive managers and governing body members must be women by 2027, rising to 40% by 2030.

Workplace accidents Women are underrepresented in sectors associated with higher physical risks, which contributes to lower reported rates of workplace accidents. Fewer than 26% of non-fatal work accidents involve women. Similarly, women account for 25% of workplace accidents resulting in permanent disability. Fatal work accidents are substantially more common among men, with 25 times more men than women dying on the job.

Occupational diseases Men are more likely to be employed in positions with higher exposure to occupational health hazards. They account for two-thirds of occupational diseases leading to permanent disability. Deaths from occupational disease are over 80 times more common among men than women.

Night work Fewer than 25% of night shift positions are held by women.

Indirect effects of labor division Gender-based differences in job type, role, sector, and working hours are among the primary contributors to the wage gap. An estimated 75% of the overall wage gap can be attributed to these structural factors, with working hours being the most influential. Even when controlling for working time, educational background, professional experience, qualifications, region, sector, and job position, men's salaries remain approximately 10% higher than those of women.

Health

General overview

Studies on gender and health remain limited. In the early 21st century, life expectancy in France was higher for women than men—85.3 years compared to 79.4 in 2018. However, healthy life expectancy was similar, with women at 64.5 years and men at 63.4 in 2018. Since 2004, healthy life expectancy has increased for men but remained stable for women.

Historically, in Western societies, male and female health have been conceptualized differently. From Antiquity onward, the male body was viewed as the standard, while the female body was seen as a variation and more prone to illness. Diagnoses and treatment have differed depending on the patient's sex. In 17th- and 18th-century Europe, women were more often diagnosed with nervous disorders. During this period, medical and state interests in reproduction led to increased study of the female body, particularly as a reproductive body, with a focus on the uterus. New professions, such as midwifery and obstetrics, developed in this context. From the late 18th century onward, sexuality began to be medicalized. Behavioral norms were reframed in medical rather than religious terms, with differences in how male and female behavior were judged. For a prolonged period, women's bodies and intellects were considered inferior in medical discourse, contributing to gendered hierarchies. Women's health was often regarded as pathological or dysfunctional by default.

Scientific research has also been shaped by gender bias. According to physician Robert Barouki (2023), research on women's health has historically been limited by social bias and an emphasis on male physiology. French geneticist Claudine Junien noted in 2016 that France lagged behind other countries in integrating sex-based biological differences in research and treatment, though attention to gender parity in healthcare was increasing.

Elements regarding the consideration of gender in medicine Efforts to incorporate gender into medical research began in the late 1980s, primarily in the United States. In 1995, the World Health Organization (WHO) established the Department of Gender and Women's Health. Several European countries followed in the early 2000s by creating research bodies focused on gender in medicine. In France, the "Gender and Health Research" group was created at Inserm in 2013. Public institutions such as French National Public Health Agency and the (HAS) have since addressed gender disparities in research and treatment.

Impacts of gender stereotypes in health and medicine Gender stereotypes influence both diagnosis and treatment practices for men and women. Ancient theories, such as those of Hippocrates, perpetuated hierarchical models in which the female body was considered a deviation from the male norm—a view that persisted into the 19th century.