🇫🇷 Your rights in France

Equal pay

The Labour Code requires employers to ensure equal pay for women and men for the same work or work of equal value. Pay includes basic salary and all benefits and bonuses.

• Companies with 50 or more employees must calculate and publish a gender equality index (index de l'égalité professionnelle) and take corrective measures if their score is too low.
• Larger companies must negotiate on gender equality with unions.
• New EU pay transparency rules are being brought into French law and should strengthen your right to information about pay.

If you suspect unequal pay, you can raise it with staff representatives (CSE) or your union, contact the labour inspectorate, refer the matter to the Défenseur des droits, or bring a claim before the employment tribunal (conseil de prud'hommes).

Harassment at work

Sexual harassment and sexist behaviour are prohibited at work under the Labour Code, and sexual harassment is also a criminal offence.

• Your employer must take all necessary measures to prevent harassment, stop it and sanction it.
• Many companies must appoint a harassment referent to inform and support employees.
• You cannot be sanctioned or dismissed for reporting harassment or testifying about it.

Keep a record of incidents, messages and witnesses. You can alert your employer, the CSE, the occupational doctor (médecine du travail) or the labour inspectorate. You can also contact the Défenseur des droits, file a criminal complaint with the police, or go to the employment tribunal. Time limits apply, so get advice early.

Pregnancy and maternity

You do not have to tell an employer you are pregnant when applying for a job, and an employer must not take pregnancy into account in decisions about hiring, pay, training or dismissal.

• You are protected against dismissal during pregnancy and maternity leave, and for a period afterwards, except in limited cases unrelated to pregnancy.
• You have the right to maternity leave, with daily allowances paid by Social Security (Assurance Maladie) if you meet the conditions.
• You can take time off for compulsory medical examinations without loss of pay.
• After birth, you have rights to breastfeeding time and to parental leave or reduced hours.

Inform your employer of your pregnancy in writing, ideally by registered letter or email, to activate your protection.

Flexible work

French law gives you several ways to ask for more flexibility, although there is no absolute right to a particular arrangement.

• Remote work (télétravail) is usually set out in a company agreement or charter. If your job is eligible and your employer refuses a request, they generally must give reasons.
• You can ask to work part-time in many situations, and parents can take parental leave as full-time leave or reduced hours.
• Some collective agreements offer additional rights.

Put your request in writing and explain how the arrangement would work. If you believe a refusal is discriminatory, for example linked to family responsibilities, you can contact the Défenseur des droits or your staff representatives.

Protection from domestic abuse

A family judge (juge aux affaires familiales) can issue a protection order (ordonnance de protection) if domestic violence puts you or your children in danger. You do not need to have filed a criminal complaint first.

• The order can ban the abuser from contacting you, give you the family home, set temporary arrangements for children, and allow you to keep your address confidential.
• The judge must decide quickly.
• Violating an order is a criminal offence.

You can also file a criminal complaint with the police or gendarmerie. In some cases, a serious danger phone (téléphone grave danger) or anti-approach bracelet can be put in place. The 3919 helpline is free and anonymous. In an emergency, call 17 or 112, or send an SMS to 114.

Separation and divorce

France has several types of divorce. In divorce by mutual consent, the spouses each have their own lawyer and sign an agreement that is filed with a notary, usually without going to court. Other types of divorce go before the family judge, including where one spouse refuses, after a period of separation, or for fault.

• The judge or agreement deals with the children, the family home, maintenance and division of property.
• A compensatory allowance (prestation compensatoire) may be paid to reduce a significant imbalance in living standards caused by the divorce.
• Decisions about children are based on their interests, and violence is taken into account.

Your property rights depend on your marital regime. Couples in a PACS or living together have different rules.

Legal aid and free legal help

Legal aid (aide juridictionnelle) covers all or part of your lawyer's fees and court costs if your income and assets are below certain limits. You can apply online or through the court.

• In some situations, such as for certain victims of serious crimes, legal aid can be granted without a means test.
• Legal expenses insurance in your home or bank insurance may also cover legal costs.

Free legal information is available at Points-justice (access to law points), in town halls, courts and associations, and from women's rights information centres (CIDFF). Lawyers' free consultation sessions are also held in many towns. For workplace issues, unions and staff representatives can help.