Gender equality: a look back at International Women's Day on March 8 and other Institut Pasteur initiatives

On International Women's Day on Wednesday March 8, the Institut Pasteur celebrated the contribution of all female employees to the missions and visibility of the Institut Pasteur.

To launch the day, Stewart Cole sent an email to everyone on campus in which he paid tribute to the "dedication, skills and creativity demonstrated (both now and in the past) by so many women at the Institut Pasteur, playing a major role in the life of our institute" and also reaffirmed the Institut Pasteur’s commitment to gender equality in the workplace. Here is a round-up from the newsletter team of the latest action and initiatives in this area, with many other events on the topic of gender equality set to be held throughout this year.

 

A morning to raise awareness about gender equality

The targets in the Institut Pasteur's Gender Equality Plan (GEP), introduced in January 2022, include implementing measures to raise awareness about gender bias and stereotypes, sexist clichés and everyday sexism.

This was the backdrop to the morning on gender equality held on campus on Wednesday March 8. The event, open to everyone, began with a coffee chat, during which the staff members present were able to meet the members of the Employee Resources Group and share their ideas on how to boost equality at the Institut Pasteur.

These discussions were followed by a theater performance led by two actors, Aurelia and Philippe, on the topic of unconscious bias, stereotypes and sexist behavior. This interactive performance and the discussions that followed were accompanied by graphic facilitation, a technique whereby ideas expressed orally are represented on paper by means of drawings or other visual elements.

Find the highlights of the morning (idea tree, results of the graphic facilitation process and photos of the event) on the Webcampus page

 

Publication of the Professional Gender Equality Index

The Institut Pasteur recently published its Professional Gender Equality Index for 2022, as required by French law, achieving a score of 98/100. This excellent result demonstrates the Institut Pasteur's efforts in this area. But it is crucial to remain vigilant, especially when it comes to the promotion of women scientists.

A document summarizes the key figures concerning equality between women and men. You can download the 2022 edition here

Find out more

 

The role of women at the Institut Pasteur with the Rêv'Elles association

On February 23, the Institut Pasteur hosted the Rêv'Elles association as part of its efforts towards gender equality and its commitment to tackling all forms of discrimination.

On February 23, the MAASCC welcome, support and career development structure for scientists, Nicolas Dray, a scientist in the Zebrafish Neurogenetics Unit, and Claire Pujol, a scientist in the Mitochondrial Biology G5, joined forces with the Rêv'Elles association for a day-long event with the aim of raising awareness among young women from less privileged backgrounds about the various careers available at the Institut Pasteur. The Rêv'Elles association inspires, motivates and supports young women in their personal and professional development. This day at the Institut Pasteur was an opportunity for a dozen women aged 14 to 19 to see how a research laboratory works in practice and find out about professions in science and research, with the aim of helping them overcome the frequent phenomenon of self-censorship by widening their professional horizons.

A number of female Institut Pasteur staff came along specially for the occasion and gave inspiring accounts of their careers and roles at the Institut Pasteur. The MAASCC, Nicolas Dray and Claire Pujol, together with the Rêv'Elles association, would like to extend their thanks and appreciation to: Corinne Sarrazin (Technology Transfer and Industrial Partnership Department), Marie Martin (Scientific Information Resources Center), Kadidia Simeon (Department of Communications), Tatiana Rivet (Legal Affairs Department), Marie Lemesle (research assistant) and Mathilde Demeulle (Local HR Department in the Human Resources Department).

 

Find out more about the Rêv'Elles association:
 

Keep an eye on the newsletter to find out about upcoming initiatives on gender equality at the Institut Pasteur!

 

Photos: François Gardy/Institut Pasteur