  We investigate inequalities in access to permanent positions in professional
astronomy in France, focusing on the hiring stage. We use results from a
national survey conducted on behalf of the French society of astronomy and
astrophysics (SF2A) aimed at young astronomers holding a PhD obtained in
France, and answered by over 300 researchers. We find that women are nearly two
times less likely than men to be selected by the (national or local) committees
attributing permanent positions ($p=0.06$). We also find that applicants who
did their undergraduate studies in an elite school ("Grande \'Ecole"), where
women are largely under-represented, rather than in a university, are nearly
three times more likely to succeed in obtaining a position ($p=0.0026$). Our
analysis suggests the existence of two biases in committees attributing
permanent positions in astronomy in France: a gender bias, and a form of
elitism. These biases against women in their professional life impacts their
personal life as our survey shows that a larger fraction of them declare that
having children can have a negative effect on their careers. They are half as
many as men having children in the sample. National committees (such as the
CNRS) have acknowledged this issue for several years now, hence one can hope
that changes will be seen in the next decade.
