French lawmakers in the lower house of the country’s parliament, on Thursday (Mar 28) voted in favour of legislation which would outlaw discrimination based on hairstyle, colour or texture, in what is being hailed as a historic move by the supporters of the bill that would make this type of workplace discrimination punishable.
What is the bill about?
The bill has sought to expand existing measures and explicitly outlaw discrimination over the texture, length, colour or style of a person’s hair – particularly those with curly, coiled or no hair at all.
The bill, drafted by Olivier Serva, a Black lawmaker from the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, said that many people have suffered due to discrimination based on their hair.
“There is a lot of suffering (based on hair discrimination) and we need to take this into account,” he told Reuters.
The independent deputy for Guadeloupe cited a 2023 study by Dove and LinkedIn which showed that two out of three Black women in the United States changed their hair for a job interview.
The study also found that a Black woman’s hair was 2.5 times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional.
The bill was passed in the French parliament with a 44-2 majority since most of the lawmakers did not vote on it. However, it must still pass the French Senate where it might face opposition.
What are the arguments?
“It’s about time,” said Estelle Vallois, 43, who works as a consultant getting her short, coiled hair cut in a Paris salon told the Associated Press. She added, “Today, we’re going even further toward taking down these barriers of discrimination.”
However, people who have opposed the bill have called the bill unnecessary and an import of ideas from the United States.
“Should we tomorrow expect a bill on discrimination against bald people, which I think are underrepresented in shampoo ads?” said Fabien Di Filipo of the conservative Les Republicains mocking the bill.
Similarly, far-right National Rally lawmaker Philippe Schreck told the parliament that he said that we should work on what he called more important issues, such as the country’s public debt.
At least 23 out of the 50 US states have passed legislation aimed at protecting people from hair discrimination in the workplace and public schools.
(With inputs from agencies)
