Femmes au pouvoir

These are exceptional women. Some are famous, some less so. All of them are, in one way or another, pioneers. In the past ten years, in politics, industry, business, civil service, media, they have climbed the steps that lead to power. Some felt predestined; others discovered by chance that they were leaders; others are still wondering every day if they will 'manage', and try to hide their doubts. Almost all of them agree on one point: in a world still governed by men, their success was built on many renunciations. They are unanimous in asserting that 'they are always required to do much more than men'. Michèle Alliot-Marie, Nicole Notat, Claudie Haigneré, Élisabeth Guigou, Anne Lauvergeon, Laurence Parisot, Eva Joly, Teresa Cremisi, Christine Lagarde, Anne-Marie Idrac... Never before have such a distinguished group of women recounted their experiences in one book; They had never confided the suffering, doubts as well as pride that went into their progress. These twenty-five testimonies read like as many adventurous journeys in the public as well as the private sphere of existence. Hervé Gattegno is a journalist for the Point. Previously head of the political section of Le Monde, he has published numerous reports on the powers in place. He is the author of L'Affaire Dumas (Stock, 1998) and of L'Irresponsable, une présidence française (1995-2007), at Stock en 2006.Anne-Cécile Sarfati is a correspondent for Elle. She specializes, amongst other issues, on questions of professional parity, and of women's work and careers.