ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on analyzing the sociological indicators that allow to reduce the initial population of individuals identified as potential decision makers to a subset who can be seen actually to participate in decision making. The sociographic study of the individuals who made up this elite group between 1981 and 1997 was carried out along two converging research paths. The first were not significantly different from those of the larger universe of French senior civil servants. A second focused on career trajectories and professional know-how, uncovered the existence within it of a smaller group whose sociological profile was distinct. The chapter also shows that those women who choose to specialize in the sector and devote significant proportions of their careers to it, have as good a chance as their male colleagues of acceding to positions that allow them to have an identifiable impact on policy.
