Let's establish social parity, for a Parliament that reflects all French people

Article reserved for subscribers

Equality: Olympians still running the file

For environmentalist Karima Delli, true democracy requires the binding establishment of "social parity" between the different social classes in the National Assembly, just as parity between women and men is required.

The National Assembly during the question session to the government on July 5, 2025. (Telmo PInto /NurPhoto. AFP)

by Karima Delli, former MEP, Chair of the Transport Committee in the European Parliament

We are in a representative democracy, but the more the years go by, the less the elected representatives seem to represent all the French people, and the most modest in particular. In the National Assembly , there are only six workers, or 1% of the deputies while they represent 11% of the population… there were 65 in the Parliament of 1945. Employees are only 6%, 14% in the population. Retirees who represent 33% of the population are only 4% of the deputies. On the other hand, senior managers represent 68% of the deputies, yet they are only 11% of the population. While our democracy is sick with the distrust of citizens for the political world, one avenue is too neglected: social parity. We know about gender parity which forces parties to present as many women as men in elections. In her books The Price of Democracy, then Free and Equal in Voice , Julia

National Assembly Equality: Olympians are still running