“We girls tend to put up barriers for certain typically male jobs,” laments Lesly, a 17-year-old high school student from Le Mans. Four months ago, after a presentation by her main teacher, she got involved in the association Capital Girls, which offers mentoring with women working in large companies. For all those who do not yet know, a “meeting for equal opportunities for women” is organized this Wednesday by the association in Saint-Herblain, near Nantes. On the program: testimonials from sponsors of Capital Filles, promotion of the importance of diversity in the professions and raising awareness of street harassment.
In 2012, Capital Filles was created by Orange to support middle and high school girls from rural areas and disadvantaged neighborhoods. Since then, throughout France, more than a thousand godmothers from large companies (Engie, Aribus, Radio France, etc.) support their goddaughter in their career choices. For Elizabeth Tchoungui, president of Capital Filles, the objective is to break the “double glass ceiling” of which these young people are victims: “that of the socio-cultural environment, and the fact of being a girl”.
Being in contact with a woman who has already started her career in a large company is a way of having a “role model” for the president. “The message of Capital Filles is to tell middle and high school girls that anything is possible.” Often hampered by those around them, the latter admit to “closing doors” for typically male sectors – engineering, technical and scientific professions.
“They help us not to devalue ourselves”
At 17, Elen is a high school student in a high school diploma with a reception option: “My godmother helped me gain self-confidence”. Thanks to her tutor, the high school student was able to get an internship at the Banque Populaire, her godmother’s company, then a work-study program that she will begin in September. When it comes to choices to be made on Parcoursup for high school students in Terminale, the goddaughters of Capital Filles also rely on their godmothers to guide them.
“My godmother helped me a lot for Parcoursup, we refined my wishes together. They help us not to devalue ourselves,” says Lesly, who has coffee with her godmother, who works at MMA, “once or twice a month.” The high school student wanted to move towards finance, economics and banking. Without the support of her godmother, she admits that she would have made different choices: “Discussing it with her, I decided to also apply for a law degree. Before, I had apprehensions for this sector in relation to my capacities”.
Capital Filles also intends to allow high school and college girls from disadvantaged backgrounds to rub shoulders with people they would not naturally have. “With my godmother, our relationship is more intimate than with my teachers, we talk about lots of different subjects: it feels good,” says Lesly.