"With action comes hope" ChangeNow 2024

This is a woman's world, this is my world," sings Neneh Cherry. On this International Labour Day, while progress for women is undeniable, one thing is clear: the status of women varies greatly from one region of the world to another.

In Iran, restrictions remain draconian. It is forbidden to sing in public without the almost unattainable permission of the authorities, to ride a bicycle or get too close to a spouse, and Iranian women must wear the veil. They cannot shake hands with a man or be alone with him. Their right to work is still hampered by the requirement of spousal permission. Access to education is still very limited.

They are a world away from the 14 countries (out of 195 officially recognised) where, according to the World Bank, there is full legal equality between the sexes. France, Germany and other countries where education, employment, independence and freedom are inalienable rights for women.

But even here the goal has not been reached. Wage gaps, glass ceilings, violence... These inequalities still tarnish this 'woman's world'. This day is an opportunity to take stock of how far we've come and how far we still have to go to achieve real emancipation.

Executive Women at work: the complex equation of emancipation​

Prejudices die hard. Whether inherited from our personal histories, our cultures or societal trends, these gender stereotypes have a lasting impact on the way we think. They are even present right down to our choice of words and grammar, which condition our gender biases, as the company Unbias and my colleague, Michael Martens have clearly understood.  This has implications for women's careers.

Most women are more reluctant to negotiate their salary and often cultivate an exaggerated perfectionism, a nagging feeling that they need to 'tick all the boxes' to feel legitimate. To be the ideal companion, the accomplished mother, the woman with a theoretically fulfilling career... A burden of conflicting demands on their shoulders. Things are evolving with a great deal of awareness, which sometimes involves violent reactions to what has been accepted and put up with for years, but there's still a long way to go.

When I work with women leaders with remarkable path, I see this paradox: recurring doubts despite high-level skills, solid careers and decision-making responsibilities. For mothers, the equation is even more difficult. It's a challenge that Emilie Friedli, founder of the Mères' programme in France, has experienced first-hand.

While social attitudes are changing, legal attitudes sometimes struggle to keep pace. While some men are challenging old male stereotypes, institutions are lagging behind. How can we change the mindset of organisations, whether private or public, to integrate parenthood into career management? And especially when it's the first children and young children, into career management. I won't even mention the case of working parents who are faced with an obstacle course to help their handicaped children who don't fit into the 'boxes' while trying to manage their careers.

Real emancipation is achieved step by step, at the cost of constant introspection through the ongoing deconstruction of cultural determinisms, the only way to achieve a fully egalitarian world.