Female Academics in France and the Glass ceiling: Organized scarcity?

International audienceThe place of women in the French academic world is often analyzed through the aspects of their place in research or the evolution of women's careers in universities and centers for research.In this article, we propose to consider aspects which have been overlooked by researchers, in particular their place in governing bodies of French universities: Administrative Council, the Council for Research (Conseil Scientifique), the Council of Studies and University Life (Conseil de la formation et de la vie universitaire) and the National University Councils (Conseil national des Universités).These councils have an important role in academic careers. For example, they deliberate about promotions, they decide on sabbatical leave for research, they establish schedules for courses, and they elect researchers to various posts or positions of responsibilities.What our research shows is a very contrasted result:- the place of academic women remains deeply unbalanced in these councils at the places of governance in spite of the parity principles that were introduced by the law in 2013;- women want to be invested in the places of the decision-makers when they have the opportunity to do that. They do not shy from them as it has been suggested in previous research;- but when large numbers of them have the opportunity to secure these places, as in the National University Councils, they are relegated to administrative tasks rather than decisional and political ones.Keywords: Female academics, Deliberative and Governing bodies, Gender disparities