Claudie Haigneré — ‘Girls who see women as leaders, grow into those roles more freely’

Pop star Katy Perry this year made headlines as one of six women who went for a controversial 11-minute suborbital trip aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket. But looking back, the path to space hasn’t been easy for women, especially for female astronauts who have faced challenges, ranging from equipment designed by and for men to limited representation in training programs, systemic biases, and decades of institutional barriers. 

In fact, it took Nasa 22 years from launching its first man into space in 1961 to sending a woman into orbit. But some haven’t let this structural inequality deter them.

Born in 1957 in Le Creusot, France, Claudie Haigneré has broken barriers in science, space, and politics, becoming a role model for countless young women and girls who grew up without many figures to look up to. 

“If girls grow up seeing women as discoverers, leaders, they‘ll grow into those roles more freely. This is one of the virtues of exemplarity,” the 67-year-old former astronaut tells EUobserver. 

Haigneré was selected by France’s CNES space agency in 1985, becoming the only woman among seven astronauts chosen for the programme. In August 1996, Haigneré made history as the fourth French person — and the first French woman — to travel to space. But that was just the beginning of a series of groundbreaking firsts. In July 1999, she became the first woman qualified to command a three-person Soyuz capsule for an emergency return to Earth. Then, in 2001, she became the first European woman to visit the International Space Station.

A lot has changed over time, but Haigneré had previously admitted that she had to adapt to an "environment conceived by and for man”. Having worked in Franco-Russian space missions since the 1990s, she is a fluent Russian speaker, but she also speaks English and Spanish.

“The invisible barriers are not written in law or policy, they are often harder to fight than visible ones,” she says, warning that “these barriers are invisible but not imaginary.”

Her entry into politics came in 2002 when she was appointed minister for research and new technologies by French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin — a decision seen at the time as part of efforts aimed at boosting the presence of non-politicians and women within the French administration. Later, she became France’s minister for European affairs and secretary general for Franco–German cooperation from April 2004 to June 2005.

“The world’s biggest problems can’t be solved by just one kind of person. We need scientists and storytellers, dreamers and builders, quiet thinkers and loud changemakers. We need girls and boys, all cultures, all backgrounds, all identities,” she said.

Even when on paper opportunities seem equal, Haigneré points out some of the ‘invisible barriers’ that still keeps holding women back: unconscious bias, confidence gaps (often linked to underestimating women’s abilities), unrecognised labour, lack of representation, fear of a backlash (which leads to self-censorship), outdated workplace systems, and gatekeeping networks.

“The invisible barriers are not written in law or policy, they are often harder to fight than visible ones,” she says, warning that “these barriers are invisible but not imaginary.” Real change, she argues, begins by naming these structural issues but also solutions head-on. “To make the invisible visible, to redesign systems, to share power, to value care as real work, to build inclusive networks, and to encourage in young girls boldness — not just politeness,” she says.

“We must tell women: you belong, you’re smart enough, you’re strong enough, you’re ready, you don’t have to fit into anyone’s box. The future of science, space and politics needs your voice,” Haigneré tells EUobserver.

“Leading in science and space doesn’t require fitting in someone else’s mould. It’s about curiosity, enthusiasm, courage and the commitment to keep going — even when the path is new or hard,” she adds.

Policy fixes will not be enough to achieve lasting equality. 

“Minds change, systems crack, and in those cracks, there’s room for light to get in. It is especially true for Europe, which can make its diversity an incomparable wealth to serve the progress of humanity"

Haigneré argues that the next generation must radically redefine power and progress, embed equity into every solution and secure global solidarity. “It’s not just a technological evolution, it must be a moral and cultural evolution made possible by a better education for all.”

“They are no longer the ‘Apollo Generation’, when science and technology were the powerful levers of progress,” she says, arguing that new generations must “rethink success as shared well-being”.

“Lasting equality will come from connection, creating resilient alliances, building bridges across cultures, gender, disciplines and generations. Movements, not individuals, make equality lasting”.

When asked about what gives her hope for the future, Haigneré appeals to the nonconformism of youth and those pushing back against the status quo. “Hope also lives in teachers who ignite curiosity instead of conformity, artists who dare to imagine what doesn’t yet exist, scientists who see knowledge just as a power but as a shared gift,” she tells EUobserver. 

“Minds change, systems crack, and in those cracks, there’s room for light to get in. It is especially true for Europe, which can make its diversity an incomparable wealth to serve the progress of humanity and peace on our beautiful planet.”

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