The Committee for the Promotion and Protection of Women’s Rights hosted a forum on Friday 19th June at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort to tackle a difficult subject: how to get more women into positions of real power and keep them there.

The numbers presented by Céline Cottalorda, the Interministerial Delegate for Women’s Rights, and Minister Céline Caron-Dagioni told two different stories. In the public sector and diplomatic corps, the figures are strong: women hold 45% of government jobs and 57% of diplomatic roles.

But when you look at the private sector, the picture changes. Women hold fewer than 30% of leadership roles, and there is still a 6% pay gap between men and women doing the same work. As Cottalorda pointed out during the session, it is one thing to have women in government, but it is much harder to fix the pay and promotion gaps that still exist in everyday business.

The reality behind the titles 

The most honest moments of the morning came when the talk turned away from the statistics and toward the actual day-to-day lives of these leaders.

Local figures like Second Deputy Mayor Marjorie Crovetto and National Councillor Béatrice Fresko-Rolfo spoke about the ‘mental load’—the invisible, unpaid work that often falls on women, regardless of their job title. They talked about how exhausting it is to balance a high-pressure career with the expectations waiting for them at home. There was a sense of camaraderie in the room as they shared stories about using humour or a ‘thick skin’ to deal with work environments that were built for men decades ago. It was a reminder that, even at the top, many women are still playing by a set of rules they didn’t write.

Equality is everyone’s business 

Gunn Marit Helgesen, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, reminded the room that we shouldn’t get too comfortable. She pointed out that progress can be undone quickly if people stop paying attention.

The forum’s takeaway was simple: gender equality isn’t just a ‘women’s issue’. If it stays that way, nothing will really change. For the gap to actually close, men need to be part of the conversation, and policies need to stop being just words on a page and start providing actual, practical support. The challenge for Monaco now is to take these ideas off the stage and into the office, making sure the next generation doesn’t have to fight these same battles.

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Photo from left to right Céline Cottalorda (Interministerial Delegate for Women’s Rights), Céline Caron-Dagioni (Minister of Public Works, the Environment and Urban Development), Marina Ceyssac (High Commissioner for the Protection of Rights, Liberties and for Mediation), Marjorie Crovetto (Second Deputy Mayor) and Béatrice Fresko-Rolfo (National Councillor) by Monaco Life