- Increase women’s participation in public life
- Develop projects that make them visible
- Highlight their skills
- Encourage women to take risks
- Aim for gender equality in all areas of opportunity
Could you explain in a few words how your activities are organized? We have created committees that distribute responsibilities. These committees are tasked with organizing two events per year. For example, we held an event in the presence of the Mediator of the Republic, which will be replicated in the regions. These events can be conferences, debates on relevant topics. Additionally, every first Tuesday of each month, we organize a debate at the “Café de Flore” on Boulevard Saint Germain. During these debates, we host prominent personalities on various themes. For example, in January, we will have the founder of “Milles Merci”, a company listed on the stock exchange since 2006.
However, Femmes 3000 is not just about organizing events; it supports women who want to implement their projects. Thanks to its network of 1600 members, Femmes 3000 establishes partnerships, including with Paris Pionnières, HEC Young Women, and Women Business Angels. We have also created a directory of 400 people to facilitate exchanges.
Additionally, every quarter, we publish a journal with interviews of our members. We are a women’s association to defend women but also integrate men who wish to support us in our action. The challenge is to find members who can devote time to fulfilling the association’s objectives.
How are you funded? We operate thanks to the contributions of our members, donations, and subsidies. However, we regret not having greater support from the ministries.
To what extent do women need greater support than men? On the one hand, because they lack self-confidence, that’s clear, and on the other hand, because society, although it has evolved, is still far from parity. Thus, we are not far from the time when the role of women was limited to raising children. We see this in the limited number of women presidents of large companies.
However, we have observed certain advances both in Europe and in the world, although there is still a long way to go. They must prove their competence more than men and overcome numerous obstacles to realize their projects. Stereotypes are deeply ingrained in mentalities. Yet, as soon as women prove their competence, they are respected as much as men, if not more.
In your opinion, do women hold each other back? Not in my opinion. I don’t have that feeling. Of course, there are times when some women refuse other women, but in that case, the reason is often related to other factors. For example, they may need to change their culture. Thus, teaching women to share their contact networks, to exchange what men do without problems.
