ABSTRACT
French legislation on equality at work for women and men, passed on 13 July 1983, raised great hopes, but many writers contend that the goal of equality has been struck down by the economic crisis. The legislation of 13 July 1983 asserted the principle that men and women are equal, and that principle was to be guaranteed by labour law. France’s legislation on workplace equality is founded on the notion of equal treatment, that is equality before the law, construed as an individual right, but also equal opportunities. The assertion of the principle of professional equality between men and women is recent. Employers, who are otherwise quite free to organise and manage their firms as they like, especially in their hiring practices, are required to respect this principle. While the effectiveness of law in handling concrete situations is conditioned by the existence of a referential principle, such a principle in no way guarantees that equality will be attained.
