Youth recreation: boys rule Twice as many boys as girls make use of gyms, skate parks and other public cultural and leisure facilities in the Bordeaux area. As they get older, boys and girls mix less and less, and from the age of 11 onwards, girls drop out massively. These are the findings of a survey carried out in three municipalities. Does this mean that leisure facilities are aimed at boys rather than girls? Local elected representatives say their objective is to channel violence through sports activities, without specifying the targeted gender. Géographie socioculturelle, by Yves Raibaud, Éditions L’Harmattan, 2011 Local authorities reject any gender-based classification, but statistics show that leisure and recreation facilities for boys attract significantly greater funding. Is versatility a skill in the workplace? Multiple skills are increasingly sought after in the workplace. For the first time, an ethnographic survey has focused on versatility in four different professions: traders, executives in the new technologies sector, works supervisors and event management personnel. This meticulous study shows that multitasking management varies according not only to the profession and work environment but also to the individual. Above all, the survey highlights a phenomenon that is not properly taken into account by companies. La dispersion au travail, by Caroline Datchary, Octares Éditions, 2011 A fresh look at inequality -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The French feel that they belong to a highly unequal society, due in particular to considerable disparities in income. Indeed, as many as 60% find the situation quite unjust. This is one of the findings of a large-scale sociological survey of 1,700 people, the first of its kind anywhere in the world to take an in-depth look at the subject of inequality and social justice. While respondents estimate the income of their fellow citizens correctly—whether they be teachers or CEOs, salespersons or football stars—and have no wish to challenge the existing hierarchy, they would however find it fairer if differences in income were at least halved. More surprisingly still: whereas sociologists usually record significant variations in opinion depending on social groups, it seems that principles of justice are the subject of a broad consensus among the French, whatever their background. Les Français face aux inégalités et à la justice sociale, by Michel Forsé and Olivier Galland (eds.), Éditions Amand Colin, March 2011 29 2011 A year at CNRS
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