The ‘Toutes dans l’équation’ Campaign Takes Shape

The French Ministry of Education has unveiled a video series called ‘Toutes dans l’équation’ (All in the Equation) designed to steer more young girls towards scientific and technical fields. The series gives a platform to women at different career stages, among them Elsa Lubek, a mathematics and computer science student at École Polytechnique, researcher Camille Berthelot, and engineer Aline Cahuzac, who works at the Direction générale de l'armement (DGA) while completing a doctorate at the CEA.

Each episode spotlights a woman’s personal journey, the obstacles she has overcome, and the satisfaction she finds in her work. The common thread is a call to dismantle the glass ceiling that still limits women’s access to top research and engineering posts. Mathematician Nathalie Ayi of the Sorbonne describes her fight to make the research environment more inclusive, while actuary Imène Seghouani argues that gender parity in every sector will make the world a better place.

The campaign is not an isolated effort. It forms part of the ministry’s wider gender-equality policy in education, notably the ‘Filles et Maths’ (Girls and Maths) plan, which mobilises the entire educational community and families to encourage girls into science, engineering and digital careers. The plan includes training for school staff and initiatives to broaden girls’ horizons and spark their vocation. The government has also pointed to the continuation of ability-grouping in French and mathematics for sixth- and fifth-grade students from autumn 2025, and the ‘Plan Avenir’ announced on 5 June 2025, which aims to help students build a path suited to their aspirations while equipping them for a changing professional world.

How the Initiative Fits into France’s Push for Greater Gender Parity in Science

The campaign’s real strength lies in its use of concrete, relatable role models – a tactic that research suggests is one of the most effective ways to counter the persistent under‑representation of women in STEM fields. By featuring women who are still students, such as Elsa Lubek and Éléonore Alborno (an engineering school pupil), alongside established researchers like Céline Bellard of the CNRS, the series normalises the idea that a successful scientific career is compatible with family life and personal fulfilment.

Advertisement

The structural push behind the stories

The ‘Filles et Maths’ plan goes beyond awareness-raising. Its commitment to train and sensitise all education personnel signals a structural attempt to remove the biases that often steer girls away from maths-heavy paths at an early age. The plan also aims to widen horizons – a direct response to the fact that many girls self‑select out of advanced mathematics even when their performance is equal to boys’. The parallel introduction of ability‑grouped mathematics classes in lower secondary school (sixième and cinquième) from 2025 could either reinforce or mitigate gender‑based tracking, depending on how sensitively it is implemented. Together with the cross‑curricular ‘Plan Avenir’, the ministry is trying to align the individual aspirations of girls with a labour market that urgently needs more scientific talent.

What the testimonies reveal

The women in the videos repeatedly mention having to overcome obstacles – a euphemism for the subtle and not‑so‑subtle discouragement that many female scientists experience. Their insistence on ‘being yourself’ and the call from Adrienne Kish of the Muséum d’Histoire naturelle to recognise that there is more than one way to do science highlight the cultural shift that is still needed inside laboratories and lecture halls. The fact that the ministry chose to showcase voices from public research, defence engineering, actuarial science and a top engineering school underlines the diversity of the opportunities available, not just a narrow academic track.

What Schools and Families Can Take from the New Videos and Government Plans

  • Watch the ‘Toutes dans l’équation’ episodes on the ministry’s platforms and share them in classrooms or at home to spark conversation about maths, coding and engineering careers.
  • Teachers and school leaders can engage with the practical tools of the ‘Filles et Maths’ plan, which include training sessions for staff and materials designed to open girls’ professional horizons.
  • Parents and mentors can use the campaign’s role models as tangible proof that a career in mathematics or engineering is not just possible but fulfilling – and that family life and a high‑level scientific career can coexist.
  • Education authorities should monitor how the ability‑grouping reform in middle‑school mathematics interacts with the goal of drawing more girls into STEM, ensuring that grouping does not inadvertently reinforce stereotypes.