An Awareness Campaign to Combat Sexism Tested in Dijon

“Every female postal worker and every male postal worker must be informed and has a concrete role to play in this fight against sexism,” explains Kildine Bataille-Bennetz, regional development representative in charge of Social Commitment and Digital Transition.

“It is in this context that the regional delegation, with financial support from the Group’s various branches and subsidiaries, organized an awareness-raising and working session on this plan to combat sexism, which can then be implemented in the operational units of each department.“

With the participation of Gilles Montchicourt, a psychoanalyst, alongside two actors from the LISA 21 association, the Saint-Apollinaire Improvisation League, the forum theater pilot session was designed for a diverse group of about thirty employees from various departments and roles, including both managerial and non-managerial staff.

Axel Vandele, a supervisor in the DSEM (Support and Maintenance Department), was among the participants. He said: “I thought it was an original format; it’s useful because we don’t necessarily realize how much sexism exists around us. It’s hard to draw the line between humor and sexism—that’s what comes across in the skits. It helps us realize that this can be a problem.”

Somewhere between acceptable and unacceptable, #LaPoste takes a stand against #sexism
on this first day of awareness-raising in #bfc with a #forumtheater led by #Lisa21 that brought together more than 40 people. #thread1/3
@KildineB pic.twitter.com/rcnlKxgaeS

— La Poste Group BFC (@LPNews_BFC) June 9, 2022

On stage, the actors portray moments from work life at the coffee machine. These everyday exchanges between coworkers highlight how sexism creeps into conversations… Participants are then invited to react or even reenact the scene with the actors, with the psychologist’s expertise helping to make sense of the reactions experienced in these situations.

Matthieu Verbeke, one of the two actors in the forum theater, reflects on the experience: “To prepare, I immersed myself in the subject through meetings with the organizers and by exploring the themes to be addressed. I wrote the script, trying to be as natural as possible while staying true to La Poste’s vocabulary. Then we rehearsed; we also worked with the psychologist beforehand on all the topics that would be addressed so we could engage with the audience.”

As for the outcome, Matthieu is enthusiastic. “The reactions were exactly what we’d hoped for. I’m sure there were people in the audience who may have experienced—or are currently experiencing—everyday sexism. And this can help them say, ‘Yes, that’s true, this isn’t normal’—it’s about encouraging people to speak up!”

The actors, Agnès and Matthieu, reenacted the skits the very next day—this time for videos! This forum theater event marks the start of a series of initiatives to combat sexism, as postal workers in Burgundy-Franche-Comté will soon be able to watch these videos. This is an opportunity to amplify this awareness campaign and advance the fight against sexism as widely as possible.

To read the article on Forum: click here!