The HCE’s annual sexism barometer balances the figures on the parental side and isn’t pretty to read

The High Council for Equality has released its annual sexism barometer, conducted by the Viavoice Institute with a representative sample of the French population made up of 2,500 women and men.

We told you, in a previous article, about the sexism that still had a good part in France, which made us want a little too much to burn things. And from a parental point of view we have not been spared, quite the contrary. This time, we’re going to look at a controversial topic: payment for children’s health visits.

81% of Doctolib appointments for small children they are taken by women

Remember, a few months ago we told you about the staggering figures published by the Doctolib application, which prove it 86% appointments for a loved one were made by women, e 81% of appointments for young children, such as a consultation with a pediatrician, were made by the mother.

In the new barometer of the High Council for Equality, we continue to discover mind-boggling figures: 21% of women and 26% of men think that the presence of a mother during a medical visit is more important than that of a father.

The Mental Burden of Children’s Health: A Story of Mothers?

Hello mental load, we didn’t miss you. Do you remember the uproar that the author Titiou Lecoq suffered when she confided The Obs that by refusing to take his son to the doctor who had an ear infection, because it was his father’s job to take care of it and he hadn’t wanted to take care of it, his son ended up with a perforated eardrum?

This is how far fathers’ lack of involvement in their child’s medical care can go. And what’s more, in these cases, it’s the mother we hit, eh. For some, Titiou Lecoq should have dealt with his son’s appointment and the wave of hatred he has suffered on Twitter following this declaration was completely frightening, going so far as to call the police headquarters for ill-treatment.

While we can lament these depressing figures, tell ourselves we’re definitely not out of the sand, we can also painfully ask ourselves the question of care in general: how many children, when they are sick, can count only on the care of their mother? How many, in moments of vulnerability, do not feel reassured by the father when the mother is not around?

Mentalities are changing little by little, but that’s not enough. There is work to be done on the part of doctors and health professionals as well. How many sexist testimonies have we heard, where the child’s pediatrician, who is faced with both parents, speaks only to the mother? We also talked about it in our very first episode of our Twitch show, l’Apéro des Daronnes, where Marie-Stéphanie Servos said that her pediatrician, during a consultation, didn’t even speak to her husband, who was present anyway. , giving her advice only to the child’s mother.

This situation is not unique or marginal, it is frequent and the social model is integrated by too many people. For mindsets to change, the whole of society has to change with them. It ranges from the role of fathers in parenting, to how caregivers address them, including co-parents fully and comprehensively.

Everyone would benefit: mums, dads, and above all children, who will be able to know that in case of problems they can count on both parents.

Photo credit image of one: Getty Images Signature

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