You know that in French we don't have an article like THE which is neuter. We have a masc, LE, and a feminine form: LA. Well, when high standard, well paid jobs are involved, you can't use the feminine article, you have to become masculine !

Ex: You are LA secrétaire in an office. But at the level of governement, if you are Secr. of State, you become mme LE secrétaire d'Etat.

That leads to ridiculous situations. We had 2 pregnant ministers in the former governement. And I heard one morning on the radio: "LE ministre vient d'entrer en maternité". Just as if one said: "MR Environment has just given birth!". Ségolène Royal was actually min. of Environment. I wrote to her etc... Nobody notices.

It's partly the backward influence of our French Academy (38 men 2 women). They are so horrified of having a woman in their community that they called, the first one they elected in 1983, "Marg. Yourcenar, our dear brother-writer!"

In EEC, in Québec of course, in Belgium, even in Switzerland, the situation has changed. You can say LA ministre, LA conseillère. But in France language has a symbolic power, something sacred and it is male privilege.

It's still another way way of imposing male supremacy and rendering women invisible.