Women, who represent more than half of the population, are under-represented in positions of power, whether in politics, economics, culture, sport or science. In addition to taking stock of the mechanisms that hinder equality between women and men at European level, the Equality Forum will highlight initiatives and best practices in order to design together concrete measures that France and Portugal can propose to their governments and to the members of the European Union. 

The evening launch event will take place on 8 March in the presence of Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, Minister for Culture, her Portuguese counterpart Graça Fonseca, and Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. Through a series of screenings and literary and poetic interventions devised by Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota, director of the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, this evening will pay tribute to the "Three Marias", central figures of feminism in Portugal and authors of New Portuguese Letters, an iconic work which, because of its censorship, aroused the solidarity of major figures of the French feminist movement. 

The Forum will be officially opened on 9 March by Christophe Béchu, Mayor of Angers, and Élisabeth Moreno, Minister for Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities, reporting to the Prime Minister. 

It will bring together some forty speakers from Portugal, France and other European countries, political figures and members of civil society, for two days of exchanges of experience, debates and proposals for concrete solutions in the fields of culture, the media, research, science and the digital environment. 

What policies are needed to act on equality, what tools to measure the evolutions?

• Christine Bard (France), Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Angers.
• Carla Cerqueira (Portugal), researcher (PhD) and Assistant Professor at the Lusófona University.
• Agnès Saal (France), senior civil servant for the social responsibility of organisations, Head of the International Cultural Expertise Mission, Ministry of Culture. 
• Hana Stelzerová, director of Czech Women´s Lobby. 
• Moderated by: Inês Pedrosa (Portugal), journalist and writer. 

How to combat violence and harassment? The example of the media and the audiovisual sector.

• Sofia Branco (Portugal), journalist, specialised in human rights and gender equality, reporter for the Portuguese news agency LUSA. 
• Sandrine Brauer (France), producer, co-president of the 50/50 collective. 
• Nathalie Masduraud (France), co-director of several documentaries and web series, including the European series H24 - 24 Hours, 24 Women, 24 Stories (Arte, 2021). 
• Réka Sáfrány (Hungary), President of the European Women's Lobby. 
• Filipa Subtil (Portugal), researcher (PhD) and Assistant Professor at the Higher School of Social Communication, Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon. Member of the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (Portugal). 
• Moderated by: Nora Hamadi (France), journalist and presenter of "VoxPop" on Arte, and "Sous les Radars" on France Culture. 

How to promote professional equality in the cultural sector?

• Mélanie Alaitru (France), co-director of artistic and cultural projects at Le Chabada, Scène de musiques actuelles in Angers. 
• Barbara Gessler (European Commission), responsible for the Creative Europe programme - Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture. 
• Pedro Penim (Portugal), Director of the Dona Maria II National Theatre in Lisbon. 
• Hélène Périvier (France), economist at the OFCE, Sciences Po Paris. 

Women and science: how to promote equal access to scientific training and careers? 

• Stéphanie Bonneau (France), biophysicist, professor of physics at the Sorbonne University. 
• Sylvie Brulatout-Conway (France), Deputy Director - External and Institutional Relations Department, Campus France. 
• Lucia Martinelli (Italy), President of the European Platform for Women Scientists. 
• Ana Teresa Freitas (Portugal), CEO of HeartGenetics, Genetics and Biotechnology SA. 
• Professor at Técnico Lisboa (IST), University of Lisbon. 

Women, still absent from the digital world. How do we reverse the trend? 

• Elvira Fortunato (Portugal), scientist, vice-rector of the Universidade Nova de Lisbon. 
• Christine Hennion (France), Member of Parliament for Hauts-de-Seine and President of Femmes@Numérique. 
• Constance Nebbula (France), deputy city councillor of the city of Angers, in charge of digital transition and intelligent territory. Vice-president of the Pays de la Loire Region, in charge of digital. 
• Luísa Ribeiro Lopes (Portugal), President of the Board of Directors of .PT, General Coordinator of the National Digital Competences Initiative e.2030, INCoDe.2030. 

How to build a culture of equality, benevolence and inclusion within organisations? 

• Caroline Courtin (France), Head of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion, BNP Paribas. 
• Tatiana Moura (Portugal), Researcher at the Centre for Social Studies at the University of Coimbra. 
• Anabela Vaz Ribeiro (Portugal), Executive Director of the Global Compact Network Portugal (UN). 
• Moderated by: Nora Hamadi (France), journalist and presenter of "VoxPop" on Arte and "Sous les Radars" on France Culture. 

How does the concept of gender offer a new social perspective? 

• Lucile Biarrotte (France), urban planning researcher, director of the Trait Clair agency. 
• Anne Labroille (France), architect and urban planner. 
• Melani Penna Tosso (Spain), psychologist and professor (PhD in Education) at the Complutense University of Madrid - Masters in LGBTIQ+ Studies. 
• Anália Torres (Portugal), Professor (PhD in Sociology) at ISCSP, Institute of Social and Political Sciences, University of Lisbon. Founder and coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Gender Studies. 
• Moderated by: Inês Pedrosa (Portugal), journalist and writer. 

The evening will be closed by Delphine O, Ambassador and Secretary General of the Generation Equality Forum, and by the President of the University of Angers, Christian Roblédo. 

The Equality Forum will also be the occasion to launch the "Cartooning for Women" exhibition in Angers, presented by the NGO "Cartooning for Peace". 

In response, a conference will bring together French and Portuguese feminists in Lisbon (autumn 2022) on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the publication of the New Portuguese Letters. 

In partnership with the City and the University of Angers, the Equality Forum is jointly organised for France by the Institut français, the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry for Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities and the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. For Portugal by the Portuguese Commission for the France-Portugal 2022 Season and the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality.