New ONDES Report: The Patronymic Diversity Index
Why measure origin diversity?
In France, promoting diversity and combating discrimination are increasingly important issues for both public and private actors. This was illustrated by the presentation at the end of January 2023 of the "National Plan to Combat Racism, Anti-Semitism, and Discrimination Based on Origin" for the period 2023-2026.
While there are tools to measure gender equality and parity, the same cannot be said for diversity. However, to promote diversity and fight discrimination, it is necessary to find tools to measure progress in this area.
The Patronymic Diversity Index: Measuring Origin Diversity Within the Framework of French Law
From a legal standpoint, France prohibits the production of ethnic statistics and data based on an ethno-racial reference framework. Indeed, Law No. 78-17 of January 6, 1978, relating to data processing, files, and freedoms prohibits "the collection or processing of personal data revealing, directly or indirectly, racial or ethnic origins [...]". The purpose of this Patronymic Diversity Index is therefore to measure origin diversity within the framework of French law.
To do this, the PDI measures diversity by the proportion of people whose surname was absent from civil registers before 1950. The 1950s correspond to the third historical wave of immigration: people from these waves of migration constitute the majority of potentially discriminated populations in France based on their origin, either directly or indirectly through their ancestors.
The index only uses surnames and no personal information. It relies on civil registry data to distinguish, among all surnames, those that were already present before 1950 and those that only appeared from the 1950s onwards. The objective of this index is therefore to measure diversity by the proportion of people whose surnames indicate this migratory past.
This study report highlights the advantages and disadvantages of such an approach and proposes several applications to contribute to the dissemination of an objective measure of origin diversity at the organizational level.