féMINistes! Week 2026: Five days of student activism for equality and against gender discrimination

féMINistes!

A well-organized and dedicated student association

Founded over ten years ago, the FéMINistes! association plays a central role in the student life of Mines Paris – PSL. It has gradually organized itself around several complementary areas of focus, enabling it to cover a wide range of activities: awareness-raising and advocacy, prevention of gender-based and sexual violence, communication, education, and grassroots initiatives.

Its goal is twofold: to work within the School to promote gender equality, and to contribute more broadly to changing perceptions in the sciences and engineering fields. Its activities combine awareness-raising events, surveys, publications, and outreach to external audiences, particularly in high schools.

The FéMINistes! Week is one of the annual highlights of this collective effort, offering a concentrated showcase of the diversity of formats and initiatives led by the association.

Discover the association on its Instagram account

A look back at a week centered on awareness and sharing

An opening marked by creativity and solidarity from June 3 to 10

The FéMINistes! Week kicked off with a creative evening allowing participants to try their hand at various artistic practices. Crêpes were sold to benefit the Maison des Femmes, combining a moment of sharing with support for an organization dedicated to assisting women who are victims of violence.

Learning More About the History of Women’s Rights

The following day, the Octo féMINistes! event featured a big quiz on the history of women’s rights, inviting students to test their knowledge while discovering often-overlooked figures and milestones.

Bringing Research and Student Experience Together

On Friday at noon, about fifteen first-year students spoke with researcher Nathalie Sayac as part of her study on gender inequalities in mathematics, offering scientific insight into the mechanisms still at work in students’ academic trajectories.

That evening, a reception held at La Forge brought students together around several themed booths, including a space dedicated to menstruation and a booth featuring socially conscious literature. Judith Abecassis, a biology researcher at INRIA and a former doctoral student at the School, also spoke to present her career path and her work.

Raising Awareness and Collaborative Creation

The week continued with a day dedicated to raising awareness and collaborative creation. A “Skirts and Purple” day was organized on campus, followed in the evening by a writing workshop for the student newspaper Le Vendôme. Students contributed to a variety of content: articles on women scientists and historical figures, reflections on contraception, recommendations for feminist reading, and the creation of a dedicated glossary.

Promoting dialogue and feminist culture

Tuesday lunchtime was dedicated to a meeting of the féMINistes! book club, providing a space for discussion around socially conscious reading.

In the evening, the traditional Tuesday beer night was given a new twist with a selection of ciders and beers brewed by women, highlighting women-led entrepreneurial initiatives in the craft beverage sector.

Feedback and Socializing

A closing reception provided a chance to wrap up the week in a more informal setting, fostering discussions between participants and organizers about the highlights of the 2026 edition.

Strong student engagement and memorable experiences

Testimonials from participants

The various events were greatly enriched by the students’ commitment and the diversity of the formats offered. These testimonials demonstrate the impact of this week on the participants:

This week was very interesting! At the feMINistes! happy hour, I had the chance to talk with a researcher (Judith Abecassis) who explained the challenges of maintaining a feminist commitment in daily life, particularly in the research community. Being able to participate in a study (by Nathalie Sayac) on women in engineering school was also an experience I greatly appreciated.

I especially liked the Kahoot (quiz) at Octo; we discovered women who should be well-known but aren’t recognized enough. I realized that feminist progress is still quite recent—especially considering that the first woman entered Mines in the 1970s—and it isn’t yet deeply rooted in society.

Feminist Week was a very positive experience for me. I really enjoyed the events and being able to discuss topics related to feminism and women’s rights with people I don’t know very well. But above all, I appreciated being able to get more involved in the organization: I felt like I was contributing more tangibly to the association. A very good experience!

A collective commitment to equality

Beyond the events, this week demonstrated students’ ability to engage wholeheartedly with issues of gender equality and the fight against sexist discrimination through diverse, accessible formats rooted in campus life.

Year after year, the association féMINistes! reaffirms its central role in student life, at the intersection of awareness-raising, scholarly reflection, and concrete action.

A Foundational Commitment by Mines Paris – PSL to Equality

féMINistes! Week combines awareness-raising, knowledge-building, debates, and concrete actions to foster a more inclusive academic environment that addresses gender inequalities.

As part of this effort, the School supports and promotes student-led initiatives that actively help bring these commitments to life on campus every day. Through dedicated institutional mechanisms and a cross-cutting policy on equality, diversity, and inclusivity, Mines Paris – PSL has made the fight against sexist discrimination and gender-based violence one of its top priorities. Our goal is to train engineers who are aware of contemporary social issues and who will be agents of change, both within the School and in society.

Learn more

For further reading

• Encouraging scientific vocations from high school onwards: the new “Education” division of the féMINistes! association
• FéMINistes! Week 2025: Five days of activism, creativity, and dialogue at Mines Paris – PSL