Better… but it’s not yet. In a survey published on May 27 by OpinionWay for Apicil, the third largest social protection group in France *, nearly one in two French people consider that inclusion has increased in our country compared to 20 years ago (46 %). But the account is still far from being there. While 52% of those questioned believe that French society is inclusive, 46% say the opposite.
A fuzzy notion
These discrepancies are partly explained by the vagueness surrounding the notion of inclusion itself, 55% of French people not being able to provide a definition. “The term discrimination, on the other hand, is quite clear to citizens”, notes Damien Dumas, strategy director and responsible for CSR within the Apicil group: 83% associate it with disability, 82% with origin or supposed race, 81% with physical appearance and 80% with sexual orientation and gender identity.
The pandemic and the resulting economic crisis do not help, 69% of French people even believe that they reinforce educational and social inequalities and 64% that they complicate access to health care for all. “In troubled contexts, it is the most vulnerable people who are the first to be penalized, says Damien Dumas. People with disabilities who already have difficulty finding a job in normal times, for example, may still struggle. “ More than half of the women questioned also see discrimination between women and men on the rise.
Optimize awareness
A problem that the various actors of society do not take sufficiently head-on. Only 49% of French people believe, for example, that companies are sufficiently involved in promoting inclusion. “As much as citizens experience a loss of confidence in the major players that are the public authorities and the school, they expect a lot from companies”, underlines Damien Dumas. And not just in terms of recruitment. Alongside the anonymization of CVs (24%) and the hiring of young people (20%), raising awareness among all employees and human resources in particular appears to be an interesting lever for action.
Services dedicated to supporting workers with disabilities could also be created (22%) and efforts should be made to keep seniors in employment (20%). “With the adoption of the Pacte law on April 11, 2019, the company has seen its role transform. It is no longer only intended to produce wealth and pay salaries. It must also have a positive impact on the environment and society. By becoming a cement of inclusion, it can positively influence mentalities ”, Damien Dumas analysis. And she has every legitimacy to do so: “The company is a place where employees of all ages, all origins, all sexual orientations exchange and collaborate, continues Damien Dumas. This inclusion is a source of wealth and creation. We therefore have every interest in developing it. “
* The survey was carried out on March 24 and 25, 2021 by self-administered online questionnaire with a sample of 1,011 people representative of the French population aged 18 and over.
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