On the occasion of International Women's Rights Day, last March 8, INSEE has published a study measuring the access of Reunionese women to positions of power. If parity laws have increased their number in elective functions, Réunion is one of the French departments where the share of female mayors is the lowest : 13%, compared to 20% at the national level.
The study also shows the persistent underrepresentation of women in leadership positions, in the public as well as in the private. The share of female directors in the Reunion public service is only 34%, compared to 42% nationally. Parity is nevertheless progressing among the younger generations, notes INSEE.
In the private, only 19% of the 146 executives managing companies with more than 250 employees are women, compared to 26% nationally.
Inequality is also seen in the remuneration of management positions. In the hospital public service, female directors are paid 10% less than men, 13% in the state civil service and 21% in the territorial sector. In the private, female leaders earn 34% less than men, compared to 24% less at the national level.
The slow rise to power of Reunionese women
