RENEE MONTAGNE, Host:
Unidentified Man: (Speaking in foreign language)
(SOUNDBITE OF APPLAUSE)
ELEANOR BEARDSLEY: Jean-Francois Cope is a sponsor of the measure put forward by President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative party. Cope says the new law will be like an electric shock to French companies and force them to change their ways.
JEAN: The differences of remunerations between the women and men for the same job is really a problem, and if we want to improve on this field, we have to implement a legislation where the boards progressively going to an amount of 40 percent.
BEARDSLEY: French lawmaker Francoise de Panafieu says she's 62 and has spent her entire life struggling in a man's world.
FRANCOISE DE PANAFIEU: (Through translator) Women face a real glass ceiling in France in the business world and in politics for any positions of real authority. It's as if the men have gotten together and conspired to keep out half of humanity.
BEARDSLEY: Panafieu says without a law forcing companies to put more women in key positions nothing will change. But the pro-business parliamentarian says it's also important that the law be workable. She was set to vote against an earlier version of the bill which called for, in her words, an unrealistic 50 percent quota and unreasonable penalties for companies that didn't comply.
DE PANAFIEU: (Through translator) The question of gender parodies is essential, but we can't jeopardize the success of our companies. They provide jobs and employment is the number one concern of the French. Don't forget that we're in the middle of an economic crisis. We can't be excessive.
BEARDSLEY: Unidentified Woman: Oui. Bonjour.
BEARDSLEY: Receptionists man the switchboard at the worldwide headquarters of L'Oreal in Paris. But women don't just answer phones here. L'Oreal has been actively promoting women's careers for the past 25 years.
JEAN CLAUDE LE GRAND: We all know that the crucial and the difficult point is with maternity leave, because it's at this moment that there is some discrimination.
BEARDSLEY: A 2007 McKinsey study of the largest European companies found that for those with at least three women on their executive committees operating profit was nearly twice as high. While the study stopped short of attributing this performance to the presence of women, Le Grand believes diversity makes good business sense.
CLAUDE LE GRAND: It's clear that when there is a good balance between male and female, there is more creativity, there is more performance, there is more ideas, and we are more successful.
BEARDSLEY: For NPR News, I'm Eleanor Beardsley in Paris. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
