Gender Equality Week 2026

Equality - Diversity - Disability Article published on 05 February 2026 , Updated on 03 March 2026

Gender and AI: Who Codes the Future? - 9 to 13 March 2026

On the occasion of International Women’s Rights Day on 8 March, Université Paris-Saclay is dedicating the 2026 Equality Week to the theme “AI and Equality”. Through conferences, debates, exhibitions, and webinars, the university aims to create a space for reflection on equality issues in the digital sphere and to examine how AI can either reinforce or undermine equality in the digital world.

This year, the focus is on gender and artificial intelligence, a field where inequalities remain pronounced. At high school level, 3.7 % of students in their penultimate year choose the Digital and Computer Science (NSI) specialisation, of whom only 10 % are girls (Université Grenoble Alpes). After the baccalauréat, fewer than 15 % of students in computer engineering programmes are women, compared with more than 40 % in the 1970s.

These imbalances persist in higher education and research: women account for 30 % of those working in AI worldwide (Global Gender Gap Report, 2023) and only 20 % of the highest academic positions in science and engineering in Europe (She Figures, European Commission, 2022). Moreover, a study of 133 artificial intelligence systems shows that 44 % exhibit sexist stereotypes, and 25 % contain both sexist and racist stereotypes (Berkeley Haas Center for Equity, Gender and Leadership).

In light of these findings, Université Paris-Saclay is firmly committed to combating potential AI biases and promoting inclusive, ethical, and equitable AI, mobilising its entire community around these critical issues.

 

Schedule

Monday, 9 March 2026 

  • 12:30–14:00: Webinar “How Can AI Be Used to Combat Gender Inequalities?” with Magalie Ochs, professor of computer science at Aix Marseille Université, Laboratory of Computer Science and Systems (LIS).

> Webinar link: How Can AI Be Used to Combat Gender Inequalities? 

Tuesday 10 March 2026

  • All day: Exhibition of portraits of students in exile, awareness-raising games on the same topic, and a cake sale (fundraising for the DU Passerelle student association) at the Jean Monnet Faculty – Law, Economics, Management Library, 54 Bd Desgranges, Building G, 92330 Sceaux.
  • 10:00–12:00: Mock trial organised by the Law students of the Merídio-Saclay association

In Vedel Room, 54 Boulevard Desgranges - 92331 Sceaux Cedex

Free registration required.

Simulation of an appeal to the French National Court of Asylum Law (CNDA) for an Afghan student following the rejection of their asylum application by the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA).

  • 13:00–15:00: Screening of the documentary Passerelle, produced by DU Passerelle students and staff, followed by a roundtable discussion on welcoming students in exile at the university.

In Vedel Room, 54 Boulevard Desgranges - 92331 Sceaux Cedex

Free registration required. 

With vice-president Delphine Placidi-Frot, in charge of international relations, a representative of the Equality-Diversity-Inclusion Mission, and the director of the university network MEnS (Migrants in Higher Education).

[Watch a short excerpt of the documentary]  

Jean Monnet Faculty page.

  •  11:30–14:00: Forum and drag show organised by the students of the drag workshop of Université de Nanterre at the university restaurant L'Expérimental, 7/9 Boulevard Thomas Gobert, 91120 Palaiseau.
  • 12:00–14:00: Event on the representation of women in art and media (video games, sculpture, painting, virtual reality) at Université d'Évry, 23 Boulevard François Mitterrand, 91000 Évry-Courcouronnes.

Wednesday 11 March 2026

  • 11:30–14:00: Forum and drag show organised by the students of the drag workshop of Université de Nanterre at the university restaurant Les Cèdres d'Orsay, Building 406 – Rue Claude Bernard, 91400 Orsay.

Thursday 12 March 2026

  • 09:00–17:00: Stands and awareness-raising activities against violence towards women, organised by the Fières et sœurs Association, students of the BUT Marketing Techniques programme (IUT de Sceaux), and the Femmes Solidaires Association at the Jean Monnet Faculty - Law, Economics, Management, Hall of Building B, 54 Boulevard Desgranges, 92330 Sceaux.

Jean Monnet Faculty page.

  • 12:00–14:00: Stand featuring a selection of “feminist” resources (books, podcasts, etc.) and a game on women who have made history, in the hall of Building 620, Maison de l'Ingénieur, Rue Louis de Broglie, 91190 Orsay.
  • 14:00: Game "Moi, c’est madame”, an interactive tool to explore and understand sexist and sexual violence, in front of the student cafeteria at Building 620, Maison de l'Ingénieur, Rue Louis de Broglie, 91190 Orsay.

Monday 16 March 2026

Thursday 19 March 2026

Tuesday 24 March 2026

  • 18:00: Foresight workshops “What Gender Equality in Scientific Fields in 2046?” at 4 Av. des Sciences, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette.

    [Registration required, link forthcoming]

Throughout March 2026

Jean Monnet Faculty – Law, Economics, Management 

  • Screening on the monitors of an interview with two students involved in the Cop1 Association, which fights against student hardship. Distribution of food and essential products to students in precarious situations at the solidarity grocery.

Address: 1 Avenue Jules Guesde, 92330 Sceaux.

All videos by Clotilde Coron, Professor of Management Sciences at the Jean Monnet Faculty and Vice-President for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Université Paris-Saclay, can be found here: Faculté Jean Monnet.

Monday 9 to Tuesday 13 March 2026

  • The National Institute of Nuclear Sciences and Techniques (INSTN) will run an email campaign “Did you know…?” featuring a different notable personality each day.

Polytech Paris-Saclay

Various content will be shared on their Instagram page, such as:

  • Portraits of inspiring women
  • Awareness posts on sexist and sexual violence (SSV)
  • Materials to better understand intersectionality
  • Resources to become an ally of feminism.

AI and Equality at Université Paris-Saclay

At Université Paris-Saclay, gender equality in artificial intelligence is a central scientific and societal issue. Through the initiatives led by the DataIA Paris-Saclay Institute, the university demonstrates its commitment to more inclusive AI that takes diversity into account.

The SaclAI-School  incorporates discussions on ethics, gender equality, and bias in machine learning into its programmes, aiming to train engineers and researchers capable of designing responsible AI systems.

Within the AI cluster coordinated by DataIA Paris-Saclay, promoting gender balance and highlighting women’s career paths are key priorities.

The “Girls & AI” workshop, run by the Maison de l’initiation et de sensibilisation aux sciences (MISS), helps raise awareness among young girls about careers in AI and encourages them to pursue studies in scientific fields.

The MixtAI scholarships provide support to female students engaged in AI programmes, concretely reinforcing gender diversity in these areas.

This topic was also highlighted during the second edition of the Data Science, Intelligence and Society conference, with a talk by Sylvie Retailleau, emphasising the importance of ethical and inclusive AI in higher education and research.

[Video link]

Research teams at the university conduct studies on algorithmic bias and fairness in machine learning, helping to better understand and correct mechanisms of discrimination in AI systems.

Through these training, awareness, support, and research initiatives, the DataIA Paris-Saclay Institute positions itself as a key actor in Université Paris-Saclay’s commitment to fairer, more inclusive, and responsible artificial intelligence.

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