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Bureau Veritas participates in the Women’s Forum Global Meeting

Nov. 29 2022

Since 2005, the Women’s Forum has emerged as the leading international platform for transforming the power of women’s voices and perspectives into forward-thinking economic and policy initiatives for societal change.

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With representatives from over 175 countries and opportunities for executive networking on an international scale, the gatherings serve as both think tanks for effective decision-making and as showcases for initiatives.

The Women’s Forum has invited the Observatory for Gender Balance (Marie-Christine Maheas), Bureau Veritas (Stéphanie Cau), Safran (Charlotte Benardeau Dieutre) and Nickel (Thomas Courtois) to discuss the phenomenon of Opting Out as part of its ongoing gender equality campaign. Representatives from these companies share today their thoughts at the 2022 Global Meeting in Paris, answering the following question: The image of power – why are women opting out?

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BV at Women's Forum
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The invitation was prompted by a survey conducted by the Observatory for Gender Balance, Bureau Veritas and Safran. The survey was conducted in France among a large sample of managers (1,000 women and 1,000 men) to assess the prevalence of the Opting Out phenomenon, understand its causes and explore solutions to address it.

Key findings included:

  • The significance of work and drivers of motivation are identical for women and men, regardless of their level of managerial responsibility: fulfilment, pride and remuneration.
  • Opting out is a phenomenon that is unfamiliar to French managers, and about which women and men feel differently.
  • Opting out affects both women and men when it comes to refusing promotions—but more women managers than men do not apply for senior or executive positions even when they have the ability to do so.
  • Reasons for opting out that reflect a crisis of aspiration relating to this type of role as opposed to a strictly gender-based issue.

Discover more about the survey