On January 22, Les Républicains (LR) deputies, led by Laurent Wauquiez, will use their parliamentary niche to advance several bills, including one to ban veiling for minors in public spaces. This move revives debates on religious signs in France, with proposals now extending to universities. An economist warns of risks excluding women from higher education.
On January 22, the French National Assembly will host the parliamentary niche of the Les Républicains (LR) group, led by Laurent Wauquiez, deputy from Haute-Loire. This initiative day aims to adopt four priority texts before debating, in fifth position, a bill 'banning the veiling of minors in public spaces.' Initially planned as the main item, the measure was postponed to avoid prolonged amendment battles on a sensitive topic, according to Eric Pauget, deputy from Alpes-Maritimes.
Mr. Pauget will open the session with a European resolution proposal urging the EU Council to list the Muslim Brotherhood on the terrorist organizations list. The text was already adopted in the foreign affairs committee with support from the Horizons group, despite expected clashes with the left-wing insoumis.
This debate fits into a resurgence of discussions on religious signs in France. In 2025, several right-wing and far-right politicians put forward proposals to tighten rules on the veil – the head-covering scarf, or hijab – ahead of presidential elections. Unlike past episodes, these initiatives now target spaces like universities, previously spared.
Olivier Bargain, professor of economics, argues in an op-ed that the central claim – women wear the veil due to male constraint – is not supported by research. Surveys by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies and the National Institute for Demographic Studies, such as 'Trajectories and Origins' (2008-2009 and 2019-2020), indicate that veiling often stems from personal choice, sometimes against family expectations. Gaps in education and employment among veiled women are largely due to labor market discrimination, per econometric analyses by Jacquet and Montpetit, rather than spousal constraints.
Banning the veil at university thus risks excluding some women from higher education, warns Mr. Bargain, calling for a nuanced approach based on empirical data.
