Boys club: when teams of boys rule the campuses of major schools

“Boys club seeks heterosexual sports student”. By dint of seeing them everywhere, the men’s clubs ended up blending into the crowd. However, these proud same-sex groups continue to influence society and perpetuate misogynistic, homophobic and xenophobic values. If you feared that this custom would disappear with Harvey Weinstein, Donald Trump and others, rest assured: in the most renowned French business schools, boys continue to assert their dominance under the guise of conviviality and fraternity.

The boys’ club, these antechambers of male power

If men didn’t wait for the industrial age to reign among them, the term “Boys club” was born at the end of the 19th century, designating the fraternities of former students of the great English private schools. These men-only spaces allowed for relaxation and networking among high-value gentlemen. Thus excluding all citizens who shared neither gender nor ancestry, these men privately sealed the future of their country.

If this concept of a Lord in a top hat sounds outdated, it’s not. Even today, men’s clubs are everywhere, but they often hide their primary intentions – to govern among men – behind a facade of conviviality and circumstantial non-mixing. Brotherhoods, bars, sports clubs, in these spaces occupied by men, alcohol flows freely, sexism and power too. The laws of the clan replace those of society, and there we can finally relax without submitting to rules that impose respect for all individuals, women and minorities included.

Sports clubs: the new men’s clubs of the Grandes Ecoles

If you’re a woman, part of the LGBTQI+ community, we have bad news for you: the tradition of the boys’ club still has a bright future ahead of it, and is still perpetrated by students in older schools (and, incidentally, Tomorrow’s decision-makers). ).

The most reputable business schools in France are very proud of their athletes. As long as they are men. As an article of World published last week, the sports clubs of these schools are veritable bastions of sexism and male self-esteem.

Like the HEC’s ultra-popular men’s soccer and rugby teams, these clubs are governed by their own laws and traditions. It doesn’t matter that these customs are backward, discriminatory and reprehensible. If on the pitch we only have eyes for these testosterone teams (while there are also women’s teams), what happens after the games speaks for itself. In the student parties organized by these teams, the culture of rape and male chauvinism reigns supreme. Women are relegated to the status of prey who are made to drink with the alleged purpose of abusing it.

To support his allegations, The world quotes the journalist Iban Raïs. The journalist details the phenomenon in his book The factory of the elites has derailed :

Among these traditions there is sexual violence, sexist, lgbtphobic or racist discrimination (…) The sports clubs of the three largest schools are associations of boys, made by boys, for boys, which reproduce all the inequalities found on campuses , only worse, with an unprecedented and institutionalized level of rape culture.

The factory of the elites has derailed

Iris Maréchal, HEC graduate president of the Student Observatory on sexual and sexist violence, illustrates these words with a chilling example:

I have been told of sexist, homophobic and xenophobic comments made by these members. They also organized the evening “Au bonheur des zoulettes” aimed at offering free alcohol to girls until 11pm and inviting boys to join them at the end of the evening when they were drunk..

The world, December 15, 2022

The timid struggle of the establishment against male domination

Business schools refute these allegations as best they can. Had these practices from another era been tolerated for years, the managements would have finally put an end to them.

Measures have also been put in place to ensure everyone’s safety. Signing of a contract of good conduct, sentinels or student contacts in charge of ensuring the smooth running of student evenings, the schools reaffirm their commitment and guarantee a zero tolerance policy. Despite these actions and the promise of a rapid change in attitudes, students still regret the impunity of some and the few measures taken by the institutions in case of aggression. However, the COVID crisis would have had a positive impact allowing for a clean break from certain traditions, which have now been replaced by awareness campaigns and strict charters. Student unions campaigning for diversity regret that sports clubs are struggling to keep up:

Even as the situation has improved, one of the biggest obstacles to equality on campus remains the sports club. For us, this is the biggest problem.

The world, December 15, 2022

Schools now reject all sexist behavior and support equality, but currently the power still belongs to men. The few women and minorities who access remain tokens, which allow these young people to no longer be guilty of the exclusion of those who are not members of the club.

Cover image: Unsplash / Dom Fou