Highlights of 2022 events in France ===========================

An exhibition was launched featuring twenty contemporary women who use mathematics and computer science in their work. This includes, other than the classical careers of academic teaching and research, those in varied applications like
marine architecture, data analysis, energy consultancy, bio-statistics and

software developpement. The aim is to make people aware
that such work is possible for those trained in Mathematics and that women can and are pursuing them with success.

Appropriately called Mathématiques, informatique … avec elles !
( Mathematics, Computer Science..with her !) the exhibition has met with a lot of success since its inauguration in May 2022.

Among other ocassions, it was presented at the Young Wo-mens’ Forum on
« History of Mathematics and Computer Sciences» held in Brest in December, this being

the 22nd edition of an annual event, organised by the association femmes et mathématiques, to provide an academic meeting point for young wo-men researchers of a specialisation chosen each year with a possibility to encounter rôle models in their more senior counterparts.

After an in-depth study of various aspects of the country’s Mathematics, several official French bodies met and discussed these findings in November 2022 in a conference called des Assises des mathématiques, attended by 600 people in Paris. At the preparatory stage a carefully prepared questionnaire was distributed to about 800 mathematicians of French universities. Not surprisingly, 75% of the surveyed people confirmed being concerned about the absence of gender mixity in the community and wished for a change. The

round table discussion on ‘Society, Diversity and Parity’ had the question of the underrepresentation of women in as its central theme.

The 5th Parity in Mathematics Day ( Journée parité en mathématiques ) took place in July 2022 in Paris with the participation of mathematicians, social scientists and artists.

The Sophie Kowalevski lectures were held at the University of Angers for the second year to encourage 1st year Masters’ level women students to participate. The courses there are delivered by women mathematicians.

Among spectacular activities of women mathematicians, we are proud to mention Nalini Anantharaman’s opening course entitled Histoires de spectres (The History of Spectra) in November at the Collège de France where she now occupies the chair of Spectral Geometry.

The work of encouraging women goes on as the association femmes et mathématiques among other activities, organises regular meetings for middle-school and high-school girls.

Gautami Bhowmik.