Why women in France walked out of work at 4:34 p.m. on a Monday
LONDON -- Women across France downed tools on Monday afternoon at precisely 4:34 p.m.. They ceased what they were doing, and left their workplaces for an important reason.
As part of the event -- organised by feminist blog Les Glorieuses -- demonstrations and marches took place in cities and towns across France, and people pledged their support online using the hashtag #7novembre16h34.
That time -- 4:34p.m. on 7 November -- is significant in France because it marked the exact moment that French women effectively started working for free as a result of the gender pay gap.
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In France, the gap between men and women's average hourly pay in France was last calculated at 15.1 percent in 2010; a disparity that equates to 38.2 days and almost two months of work, according to Les Glorieuses.
The event drew its inspiration from the "Women's Day Off" protest which took place in Iceland at 2:38 p.m. on 24. Oct. Women across the country went on strike to protest the persistent gender pay gap, which currently stands at 18 percent.
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The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, suspended proceedings for the day at the Conseil de Paris (Paris' council), while officials at the Musée D'Orsay art museum mobilised for the event. Big and small companies and their workers tweeted photos of themselves participating.
Alix Heuer -- author at Les Glorieuses and organiser behind the protest -- told Mashable that last week the publication decided it wanted to speak about pay and inequality after seeing the women of Iceland who stopped working in the name of pay equality.
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"The message is that everybody has to take their matter into their own hands. Not just people who suffer from job insecurity," Heuer told Mashable.
"In order for the situation to change, everyone has to play their part. Even if that means just talking about it. Bosses in all companies, big or small, need to look at salary figures and the situation in their company," Heuer continued.
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Hueur said the Les Glorieuses didn't anticipate the "huge" level of support it has received for the event.
"The goal initially was to raise awareness among our readers. Now we are discussing with unions and other feminist organisations in France to build a stronger movement," said Heuer.
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"From now on, 7 November will become the day of pay inequality in France," Heuer continued.
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
