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Résumé: Des campagnes nationales de mesure de champs électromagnétiques ont été réalisées dans les établissements scolaires et médico-sociaux en France métropolitaine entre 2014 et 2019. Elles visaient à évaluer l'exposition aux champs électromagnétiques dans les établissements accueillant des populations sensibles, mettre en perspective les niveaux mesurés par rapport aux valeurs limites réglementaires et identifier les déterminants des niveaux intérieurs de champs électromagnétiques. Les niveaux de champs électromagnétiques sont significativement différents dans les établissements scolaires : ils sont plus faibles dans les écoles, intermédiaires dans les collèges et plus élevés dans les lycées, avec des médianes respectivement égales à 0,16 V/m, 0,30 V/m et 0,41 V/m. Les niveaux sont comparables dans les hôpitaux et les établissements d'hébergement pour personnes âgées, où un niveau médian de 0,31 V/m est observé. Dans l'ensemble des établissements, les valeurs mesurées sont très inférieures aux valeurs limites réglementaires. Les mesures identifient davantage de sources de champs électromagnétiques en milieu urbain qu'en milieu rural. La téléphonie mobile est le contributeur principal de l'exposition mesurée dans les établissements. Les déterminants des niveaux intérieurs de champs électromagnétiques ont été recherchés à partir d'informations descriptives de l'environnement des établissements. La présence d'antennes repérées visuellement depuis l'établissement et le nombre d'installations radioélectriques à proximité de l'établissement sont les principaux facteurs influençant les niveaux de champs électromagnétiques dans les établissements scolaires et médico-sociaux. Nationwide surveys to assess electromagnetic fields (EMF) in schools, hospitals and senior citizens' homes were carried out in mainland France between 2014 and 2019. We aimed to assess the exposure levels to EMF in buildings hosting vulnerable populations, to compare these measurements to regulatory limit values, and to identify the determinants of indoor levels. Levels of EMF varied significantly in different types of educational facilities: they were lower in nursery and elementary schools, intermediate in middle schools and higher in high schools with medians of 0.16 V/m, 0.30 V/m and 0.41 V/m, respectively. They were similar in hospitals and residences for senior citizens, where the same median level of 0.31 V/m was observed. In all the buildings, the measured levels were below the French regulatory limit values. More sources of EMF were identified in buildings located in urban areas than in rural ones. Mobile phones were the main contributors to the measured levels. The determinants of the indoor levels of EMF were studied from the data describing the building and its outdoor environment. The presence of radio antennas seen from the building and the number of broadcasting facilities near the building were the main factors influencing the electromagnetic field levels in schools, healthcare facilities, and nursing homes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a significant rise in the number of women working in Britain since the 1970s. This rise is directly related to the move towards a service economy and also higher levels of education and training. In addition, a series of laws introduced since the 1970s, notably the Equal Pay Act of 1970, the Sex Discrimination Act of 1974 and the Employment Protection Act of 1982, have encouraged women to work. However, there appears to be a discrepancy between the quantity of work available for women and the quality. Quality work, as defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), can be described as work that provides decent pay, and offers development and progression opportunities. Many of the jobs created in the service sector and largely occupied by women tend to be low paid and low prospect “pink-collar” jobs, failing to meet many of the “decent work” recommendations of the ILO. Women tend to cluster in flexible service sector jobs such as infant school assistants, home helps and domestic helpers. Although this is true of many industrialised countries with very different labour market conditions such as France and Germany, the pay and prospects gap for women is considerably higher in Britain. There are, of course, a number of causal effects. However, a body of evidence suggests that higher gender inequalities at work may be linked to neo-liberalism in Britain. The influence of neo-liberalism has not only shaped legislation in Britain but also attitudes to women and work since the 1970s. Indeed, after analysing the results of a nationwide survey carried out across Britain and France in 2014 on wellbeing at work, this article shows how British attitudes to inequalities at work are shaped by the neo-liberal model and may have serious implications for future policies to improve pay and prospects for women working in Britain. It will thus explore the influence of neo-liberalism in Britain on career pay and prospects in Britain, taking both a theoretical and evidence-based approach.