What "annuaire au feminin" is or does? About us
- It is a DIRECTORY and a DATA BASE of women
DESCRIPTION of the organization (when did it start, who initiated it)
- The project started in 1983, first paper directory issue published in 1985, 6th in 2002. I initiated it alone, without any official support. Website in march 1996 (the first of this kind in France). More about its origin.
IS IT AN INFORMATION SERVICE? YES
- By tel +33 (0) 2 43 23 98 64 from 8 am to 8 pm monday to saturday
- By mail brigitte.cassigneul at femmes.net
What kind of information do you offer and to whom?
- information about women organizations in France and women in business and university
- biographies of women
- to any person in the world
Examples of women associations: ACTIF - ADIEF - BPW France - Dialogue - Elles aussi - Women and Finance - Retravailler - UFCS - Women Engineers - Women &Transport - Women Journalists - FCE - Women training for politics - Women and Business
How many people are working for the organization?
- ONE only (me) but many women and men offer time and ideas
If the organization houses a collection ?
if so (books, articles, newspaper clippings, whatever) please describe it.
- NO, we give all material to "Bibliothèque Marguerite Durand" a public library about women in Paris (75013)How many databases are there?
2,000 contacts of women groups in France
24,000 adresses (with tel and fax) of active women in France
1,000 contacts in Europe and 500 in the rest of the world
3000 mails of women worldwide, (including 2000 in France and 1000 in Europe)
more than 1000 web sites dedicated to women worldwideIf there is a collection, on what subjects?
Like health, work, sexuality....
- MAINLY associations and professions, but we can look through key words like fashion, politics etcAre the databases already automated?
- Not yet
Is l'ANNUAIRE au FEMININ located in France?
- Yes, 55 mn from Paris.
Please feel free to ask any other questions
and rely on me for more information in France.
Please let me know if any member of your team comes to ParisPlease mention our mail and website as much as you can. Thank you.
For an exchange of links, juste send your URL and mail to: brigitte.cassigneul@femmes.net
To know more about us(this is a translation of general information
inside the paper Directory, 1995,)
By way of a preface"Where can one find, in full confidence, the female lecturer one requires? IIt's an amazing work-tool."
Françoise GIROUD (Journalist)
"Congratulations on such an initiative!.... Women need not just quotas, but information, training and structures that provide them with self-confidence. Anything that can aim towards this objective is a positive point in women's favour. You can rely on my support and my contribution to your action."
Françoise HOSTALIER (M.P.; Nord Department)
"Congratulations on your action. Your initiative seems particularly interesting to me. Every good wish for your venture."
Christine CLERC (Figaro journalist)
Chapter I Why a Female Directory?
Because one in every two men is a woman!
The report drawn up for the 1995 Women's World Conference has confirmed the fact that the condition of women has been improving over the past 10 years in our country. But this report emphasizes that this progress will remain fragile, so long as our society fails to integrate better its feminine and masculine components.
Every active woman systematically needs openings towards the world that surrounds her. Useful addresses, connected to business, social and economic domains and to companies, to education or to their private lives all exist...... but where?
The conclusion is obvious. One can find almost everything..... but what a nuisance when it comes to finding the female equivalent of the particular piece of information! One has to collect and compile, wait and call back again.... It was therefore time to stop the rot. The Female Directory was created from this analysis.
Based on previous editions, this book provides information sources that are regularly updated and so make this fifth edition an ideal work tool.
The objective of The Female Directory is to demonstrate the numerous initiatives taken by single or groups of women who, in their private lives, in associations or in the professionam world, speak up, build, bear witness and inform.
Brigitte CASSIGNEUL
Still Too Many Shadows on our Sun
Women have been playing a steadily incr playing a steadily increasing role in French business life, helped by the decision to open to them the Polytechnic and our illustrious Business Schools. In a professional world where the importance of physical force has given way to the optimization of abilities, regardless of race or sex, women have been presented with an historic opportunity.
Countless women have risen to the occasion, replacing the ideas of the "exceptional woman" with that of "a woman of calibre", by creatively investing in a widening community. A meaningful illustration of this frame of mind can be found in this Directory, since it classifies numerous associations that have been founded which efficiently encourage female initiatives.
The author of this Directory deserves our thanks for having managed to bring to the public's attention many of these hidden talents.....
Making Ourselves Heard in a Changing Environment
This result will clearly not be achieved by rhetorical means, but by tangible progress, providing answers to current emergencies among which work-development plans must come first. Two initiatives provide us with the opportunity:
- The Conference for Work and Employment Time, organized by the European Leadership Institute, has gathered together 500 women in charge of 70 work-teams from over 30 companies.
- The Work Challenge intends to question 50 000 of its members on this topic between now and 1996.
Much can be expected from female testimony because women have known how to innovate in this area for several decades already, and so long before society really started asking questions about this topic. (Nicole VAN DER ELST)
Promotion of Women in the Workplace : Facts and Figures
- The proportion of women in the working population has been rising dramatically for 30 years. The amount of working women has risen by 36% between 1968 and 1990, whereas the equivalent male figure has fallen by 2%. The percentage of women in work has gone from 34.7% to 42.4% for the same period.
- Between 1982 and 1990, the workforce comprising engineers, senior management and female intellectual executive professions has grown by more than 75% from 457 000 to 800 000. The increase is more noticeable in business (22% female senior management in 1992, as opposed to 13% in 1982) than in the public sector (40% and 33% female senior management for the same period.
- The percentage of French girls in classes preparing for entrance to the Grandes Ecoles is steadily growing, reaching 35% for the moment. The rate of female presence in Engineering Schools (1989 average) has reached 19.3%. The corresponding figure for the HEC (senior business college) and for the ESSEC (senior business and management college) is 35.5% and is 50% for the ESCAE
Women's Associations : The Dynamism of French Associations
Among the major themes concerning French associations are:
- the need for sharing common aspirations, defences and memories....
- the need to get together, to act, to talk, to conceive and to protect....
Leisure is one of the foremost objectives (sports, culture, travel, drama, collections etc.) followed by memories - for all age-groups (past-pupils, value-sharing etc.) The professional world has also given rise to the founding of a large number of associations ( specialists, artisans, industrial workers, artsts etc.). And moreso nowadays is the need to be an activator, to take initiatives, to practise life management and politics.
All these requirements have found a suitable framework within the 1901 Law which has enabled a simplified development of structures where everyone feels at ease in their own environment.
At the moment, almost half the French population are members or an association. INSEE states that 51% of men and 39.9% of women are concerned. Within these structures, 40% of responsibility is taken by men and 33% by women. Such figures show that when it comes to autonomy, the female world has not been outdone.
It is therefore up to women to be even more present in positions of responsibility. They have understood this very well and we can see this for ourselves in The Female Directory where all the associations listed have been created by women and for women.
Evolution of Women's Associations
Women have been extremely active these past 20 years. Of the 159 associations which gave us their foundation date, 106 have been founded since 1975, i.e. 70%, a substantial figure.
The oldest women's association is a charity called The Teams of St. Vincent, founded in 1617 which are still in full operation, and in several countries.
Three associations were founded during the 19th Century: Female Painters & Sculptors; The International Women's Council; Young Women's Services.
1901-'45: The Professional Associations
In actual fact, half of the associations founded at this time had professional objectives. They were the 'pioneers'.
1945-'75: Associations Focusing on Women and their Daily Lives
These were dominated by Family Planning and its remarkable progress in the communication field. Along with some other groups their action les to the 'Veil' Law concerning pregnancy termination.
1975: A Turning Point
This was the year of the United Nations' first World Conference on Women (in Mexico), followed by the Nairobi Conference in 1985 and Peking in 1995.
1981: A Boost to Women's Movements
That year saw the founding of the Ministry for Women's Rights, with the energetic Yvette Rondy appointed at its head. A considerable budget (FF108 million) was set aside in 1983, and FF60 million (nearly 60% of the total), was allocated in grants to associations of a 'socialist tendency', which further increased the phenomenon. Ever since the two cohabitation governments, the French source of funding has been reduced, but the European source has compensated for this.
Modern Communication Tools
Just one point concerning work-aids: if the widespread use of answering machines had already been noted over several years, there are now 250 associations listed that use a fax, which is a sign of increasing professionalism, not to mention computers and bulletins completely prepared on Desk-Top Publishing.
Associations: Instructions for Use
Over 380 associations were contacted between November 1994 and the end of February 1995. 300 of them replied, which enabled us to compile a statistical report. In our report we have restricted references to one per association (when they have several regional delegations, they can be found under the Regions section, listed under their Département).
We have listed the associations which have:
- as an objective, action by or for women
- a majority female membership, such as the AVF (98% women)
- a female founder and President who has had a big impact on the association (e.g. SOS Attentats; Stéphane & Laurent; Anne Cellier Foundation).
1st line: Name; Acronym; Year founded List N°
2nd line: Objective of association
3rd line: Membership; Resources; Activities
4th line: Telephone N°; Contact name (President etc.)
5th line: Fax; Contact addressHierarchical Organisation of Information - classified into 4 groups:
- Some major associations with a communication policy. 18 are listed on single pages.
- Associations with more than 100 members with a fax and who answered our questionnaire.
- Associations with only one of the above-mentioned characteristics.
- Finally, listed on one page are the associations whose names we know, but who gave only given a telephone n° or address.
Chapter II The Female Directory in the Regions
Over the past few years, regionalisation has granted a certain amount of autonomy of the groups of Départements which, through their diversity, make up this far-off or continental yet captivating country called France.
These regions have been developing fully on a local scale, whilst respecting their traditions and fighting for a concentration of their work. Besides, they all have in common the political will to improve women's status in their social, family and professional lives.
For example, the Provence-Alps-Riviera Region and the city of Marseilles have, since 1977, been supporting and encouraging the founding of new women's groups in urban areas, playing the role of partner and spokesperson.
Of course, each region has the potential for public services and a wide range of activities in diverse associations. Both will be able to rely on the information contained in The Female Directory and we hope that these women, in turn, can carry on the tradition of advice and efficiency.
Jeanne MAZELLE, Deputy Mayor of Marseilles; President of CODIF
The Regions: Instructions for Use
Each region is presented with;
(a) its name
(b) its boundaries and Départements (with corresponding number)
Left-hand column;
Box: Regional address of the official women's rights representative.
List: Regional addresses of organisations and services
Right-hand column;
Box: Département N° and name
List of organisations/associations etc. where desired information can be found. Each unit is (almost) always presented in the same manner.
Lines
(i) Name of person in charge
(ii) Organisation (in bold type)
(iii) Address
Parity in the Future - How and Why
An Equal Balance
Parity means 'perfect equality'. In the area of public life, it concerns the equal participation of women and men in political decision-making, particularly among the elected assemblies which, in theory, represent the whole of male and female citizens. But going beyond politics, an objective of pqrity also concerns sharing decisions in economic, social and cultural areas. It is a worldwide movement, particularly active in Europe and Africa.
Women in Politics
Over the past fifty years that women have both been voting and been eligible, they have remained in the sidelines, almost absent, even from the assemblies where laws are debates and where decisions are taken to be applied to all the inhabitants of the Département or of the local borough. Women represent 17% of town councillors, but only 6% of MPs, while at the same time constituting 53% of the population. These are the lowest figures in the whole of Europe. In the National Assembly, there are less women MPs in 1995 than there were in 1945!
Choices for Everyone?
In theory, women and men have the same right to positions of responsibility in public life. But in practice; political parties decide who is to be the candidate for such and such a seat or list; very few women are put forward and at times in difficult conditions. If not all women necessarily want to be involved in politics, there are more and more of them ready to stand for election provided there is a change in the political lifestyle, that they have their place in it and that they be no longer isolated, as is the case today, in a domain tailored for men by men.
Available to Listen to Everyone
France is undergoing a crisis: citizens are periodically disheartened by the political scene. Their real problems are not taken into consideration. At times they feel abandoned by those who wield power. Just as much as men, women have a vested interest in seeing that the real concerns of every man and woman are taken into account.
Who Does What?
There are urgent problems such as unemployment, education, purchasing power, the future of our young people etc....The list of emergencies in our society is a long one. But in a democracy, who has the power to make proposals, to choose solutions and to put them into practice? The elected representatives of the people to whom they bear responsibility?
It seems strange that these elected representatives are almost invariably men and that they decide among themselves what is best for the entire population. There are as many women as men in our society (in fact, there are more women).
How Can Parity Be Attained?
This, of course, is not so easy. Since we form part of a democracy, parity will be brought about by boilding on public opinion.
Such a movement does not concern solely women, because some men will approve - as some already do - of the ideas that decisions be taken jointly. It's about time that women's proposals were listened to, and that women themselves exercised their right to do so, not only by voting, but by sharing responsibility.
Françoise GASPARD
Chapter III The Speaker's Bureau Directory
If silence is golden, then we consider the spoken word to be silver (and capable of generating wealth).
In a world where the demand for highly specialized seminars, conferences and round-table discussions is ever-increasing, we noticed the absence of organisations listing female lecturers (known as the Speakers' Bureau in the U.S.).
Besides, practically all female presidents of associations have something to say (and they say it well) in their particular aria or speciality. Please don't hesitate to contact them or to consult us.
All these women have a high level of culture and training. For those that have not continued with higher education, they have learned from "The Grand Book of Life" and have managed to draw from it their teaching sources. With their high level of conceptualisation, the extent of their reflection and their involvement in social, cultural, opolitical and professional domains, you can be sure of gaining access to top-class figures.
Some women speak about Europe; they 'practise'' Europe. More than 60% of the lecturers can deliver their speeches in a foreign language (mostly English), 30% of them in two languages and 5% in three or more.
We would like you to let us know qbout all those women (there are certainly many more of them) who have not yet been mentioned and we apologize to them for having failed to contact them.
We hope that they will take part in this major promotional activity of individuals which starts through information, continues through training and cumulates in action.
Published and translated in 1995
+ Several indexes
|
|
|
|
|
|
|