France ranks second in EU for gender equality
The new index tracks eight key areas to ‘compare how inequalities affect our lives’
France has “most room for improvement” in the domain of money, the EIGE said, despite the country coming second in Europe overall
CalypsoArt/Shutterstock
France has come in second place out of 27 countries in the new Gender Equality Index 2025, which was published this week by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE).
The index aims to “respond directly to policymaker needs, compare how inequalities affect our lives at work, at home or in public life, and to propel action for a more equal Europe”, EIGE states.
It tracks progress across six key areas (plus two extra):
Work, money, knowledge, time, power, and health
The index also looks at violence against women, and intersecting inequalities (e.g. how your level of education or whether you have children affects your work).
France in second place
France came in second place overall out of 27 countries, with a score of 73.4 out of 100 (well ahead of the EU average of 63.4).
It came second only to Sweden, which scored 73.7.
In third place was Denmark, with 71.8, while Spain and the Netherlands rounded off the top five (70.9 and 69.5 respectively). Of the top 10, Portugal came in 10th (with 63.4), and Luxembourg in ninth (63.9).
Cyprus came last on the list of 27, with a score of 47.6. Also close to the bottom were Hungary (51.6) and Czechia (53.2).
Gender gaps, childcare, and household tasks
Conclusions for France include:
Health
64% of women and 69% of men rated their health as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ (but both figures have declined since 2020)
At age 65, women expect to spend 51% of their remaining life in good health, compared with 53% for men
Overall, France’s health index score is 88.0, ahead of the EU average of 86.2, putting it in fifth place (the leader is Ireland, with 93.8).
This dovetails somewhat with other research on life expectancy and older years ‘in good health’ studies undertaken in France in recent years.
Pensions and income
Men receive 27% higher gross pension amounts than women
Overall, France’s money score is 78.1 (15th out of 27).
Childcare and household
21% of women dedicate more than five hours per day to childcare, compared with 13% of men
61% of women do household tasks daily (e.g. cooking, cleaning, laundry), compared to 40% of men. The difference is wider among older age groups.
Employment
Employment rates increased, while the gender gap narrowed. Equivalent full-time employment for women is at 45%, compared to 54% for men
Employment disparity is mainly among couples with children, people with low education levels, and people born outside France
40% of managerial positions are held by women, and 47% of board members are women
51% of ministerial positions are held by women.
Men living in couples earn 34% more than their female partners on average.
Rate of change in Europe
The index also tracks the rate of change over the past five years, 10 years, and 15 years.
For France, the rate of change is:
This means that in the past 15 years, gender equality in France has improved by 14.9 percentage points, behind only Spain, Ireland, and Italy.
This is “mostly due to improvements in the domain of power and in the domain of knowledge”, the EIGE said.
France scores most highly in the domain of health, at 88%. This is followed by money (78.1), work (72.8), power (72.5), time (67.6), and knowledge (62.6).
The biggest improvement is in the domain of power (up 9.5), mainly due to “social power”, the EIGE stated.
Yet, the EIGE said that France has “most room for improvement” in the domain of money (score of 78.1, at 15th out of 27 countries), as a result of financial resources being more limited for women.
It also said that while France’s health score is high, the 2025 index showed a “step backwards” in this domain, with a decrease of 0.4 points since 2020.
In Europe overall:
In the past five years, the country to have improved the most is Malta, with a score of 8.6 out of 10 (for an overall score of 58.9). The country to have improved least is Bulgaria, which has taken a 0.7 step back (overall 58.1).
In the past 10 years, Ireland has improved most (up 13.4, to 69.0). Again, Bulgaria improved the least, at 1.8.
In the past 15 years, Italy is most-improved (up 16.9, to an overall score of 61.9).
Gender stereotypes
The index this year also “weaves in fresh data on gender stereotypes” for the first time*, said the EIGE.
Its overall conclusions across Europe include:
Deeply ingrained gender norms continue to influence our daily lives, choices and opportunities
Men are still widely seen as breadwinners and leaders
Women face subtle, yet pervasive, biases affecting their confidence, ambition and safety
Women need to work 15.5 months to earn what men make, on average, in 12 months, in what the EIGE terms the “ghost quarter”.
Full gender equality remains at least 50 years away “despite progress across Europe”, the EIGE said, concluding that: “Although attitudes are slowly changing, dismantling gender stereotypes is fundamental for true equality.”
*Note: Changes in methodology and structure this year (including the new data used) mean that the 2025 index is “no longer [directly] comparable with the previous index scores”, the EIGE said.
