Where do inequalities of opportunity arise in France? To this often debated question, a note from France Strategy, published on Wednesday April 5, underlines that if social origin remains the major determinant of an individual’s life trajectory, inequalities also take root in roses and cabbages. .
Regardless of their background, place of residence or education, boys and girls are not on the same starting line in life, notes France Stratégie. As a result, once adults, with a comparable sociological profile, men earn on average 25% more than women.
“ Social origin and gender are much more determinants of income than migration background or place of residence in adolescence., specifies France Strategy. This does not prevent the effects of these different inequality factors from accumulating, which can lead to significant differences.
“Less favorable sectors in terms of income”
Why does the fact of being born a girl or a boy influence so much the level of income in adulthood, despite “ a downward trend” differences in income observed over the recent period? Education is not in question: the courses, with identical social category, are “ equivalents » between girls and boys, admit the researchers. “Women are more educated than men”, even specifies the study. But this advantage is then of no use to them on their payslip, since they more often choose “ less favorable sectors in terms of income”.
The arrival of children has a very significant impact on the income of women, regardless of their social category.
It is when they enter the labor market that things go downhill for girls. They are less often employed, more often occupy part-time or less paid jobs. These differences “ objectives” explain around a third of wage inequality. The arrival of children also has a very significant impact on the income of women, regardless of their social category.
What about the remaining two-thirds? “ They remain unexplained by our model”admits France Strategy, which estimates that “ the deviations pass through other effects, unobservable in the data”For example, “ different behaviors of employers and employees ». A study, in short, which sheds light on the urgency of fighting for equality between men and women in the labor market.