Religion, Religiosity and Employment Inequalities in France: Accounting for Religious Diversity

Yasmin Teodoro , ENS Saclay / Ined / Dares

In France, numerous studies have examined how religion—particularly Islamic affiliation—shapes socioeconomic inequalities, especially regarding employment access (Abdelgadir & Fouka, 2020, 2020; Adida et al., 2010; Galembert, 2024). However, due to the scarcity of national-level religious data, relatively few statistical analyses have been able to measure and generalize these effects. Building on this literature, this paper moves beyond examining religious affiliation correlations. After preliminary analysis of effects on inactivity and unemployment risks, we account for heterogeneity within religious groups to explore how both affiliation and religiosity types affect employment outcomes among the French population, including direct descendants of immigrants. This question remains particularly salient given ongoing debates surrounding religious symbols in France—visible markers of faith often perceived as challenging the republican principle of laïcité. Yet this analysis addresses more than visibility alone. Using cluster variables from the TeO2 survey (Trajectoires et Origines 2, Ined-Insee 2019, Drouhot et al., s. d.), we assess how multiple dimensions of religiosity—including practice frequency, belief intensity, community involvement, and religious socialization—influence labor market outcomes. Through successive logistic regression models, we highlight dynamic interactions between affiliation and religiosity in shaping employment outcomes both across and within affiliation groups. Results confirm that visible religious practices constitute significant employment barriers—most notably for Muslims—though other forms, including private practices, also affect labor market participation. Examining intersections between affiliation and religiosity deepens understanding of factors influencing employment access in France, interrogating religion's role and underlying mechanisms in the (re)production of social and ethnoracial inequalities.

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 Presented in Session 63. Immigrants' Descendants and Social Stratification