Introduction

Women of Color in Peace, Security and Conflict Transformation The Race Across the Pond Initiative: Women of Color in the Healthcare System Series

SYSTEMIC RACISM, INTERSECTIONAL DISCRIMINATION, AND INEQUITIES IN FRANCE’S HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION

In France, the inequity that affects racialized and minority groups (RMGs) is a difficult subject to tackle and even more difficult to investigate. The French Constitution requires that the State “ ensures equality before the law of all citizens without distinction of origin, race or religion.”

Despite the 1978 ban on the collection of data relating to “ethnic origin or race,” confirmed by the Constitutional Council in 2007, some exemptions authorizing ethnic statistics under strict conditions are possible, especially for statistical or scientific research purposes.1

These exemptions allowed some studies to be conducted on the effect of discrimination on RMGs in France; however, these studies are limited in number, scope, and relevant data compared to the extensive field of research related to racism in healthcare that needs to be explored. These lack of studies are even more alarming when considering that RMGs represent nearly 20% of the French population.

This policy paper focuses on racial, socio-economic, and cultural discriminations RMGs endure in accessing quality health care in France; and the inadequate response to their health needs as a result. It explores how racism and intersectional discrimination contribute to the deterioration of both health status and quality of life for RMGs.

The first part of this document studies the healthcare access issue, while the second part centers on the healthcare quality issue.

1 Data acquisition relating to the name, to the geographical origin, nationality before obtaining French nationality or the sense of belonging is possible following the recommendations of the CNIL (Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés).