France warns of ‘masculinist threat’ from US

More than 80% of French women have experienced sexism, and Donald Trump might be to blame, the High Council for Equality claims

The French government is failing to tackle masculinism, which has become the core element of the “international reactionary movement” led by the US under President Donald Trump, the High Council for Equality (HCE) has claimed.

The council, an advisory body attached to the prime minister’s office, released its annual ‘Sexism Barometer’ report on Wednesday in which it sounded the alarm over the state of gender equality in the country. The report is based on a sprawling 230-point poll conducted last November, which sampled the opinions of over 3,000 French nationals aged 15 and above, representing different groups of the country’s society.

According to the poll, 84% of the women polled reported having experienced at least one instance of sexism, ranging from inappropriate jokes and public harassment (54% and 62%, respectively) to persistent pressure for unwanted sex and rape – 20% and 21%, respectively.

Around 23% of respondents exhibited “paternalistic” sexist views, including 27% of men and 18% of women, including such beliefs as that women should be “protected and loved” or are “naturally gentler.” Around 17%, including 23% of men and 12% of women, expressed “hostile” sexist views, which justify violence and discrimination against women, according to the report.

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The HCE warned about a particularly “troubling overlap between hostile sexism and masculinist radicalization,” suggesting online masculinist networks and the international situation were to blame. The council described it simultaneously as a “nebulous” movement but a “structured ideology with political, economic, financial, and cultural networks.”

While the HCE did not call out any French politicians over the situation, it urged the authorities to take urgent steps to prevent the alleged masculinist radicalization and implement educational programs to counter it. The body pointed fingers at the US president, accusing Washington of leading an alleged global machismo drive as well as suggesting a “structural and ideological link between masculinism and the far right.”

“Masculinism appears as a central element of an international reactionary movement, which is currently driven by the United States and represents a threat to equality and social justice,” the report reads. The foreign influence and activities of the masculinist networks represent a “major risk to social cohesion, public safety and, more broadly, to democratic principles,” it warned.