Negotiating gender workplace equality in companies A democratic process ungrounded

French gender workplace equality policies are based on a mechanism for negotiating agreements within the company. This mechanism is indexed to the values of "democracy" inside firms. On the basis of a survey conducted on actual negotiation practices and their results, the article analyses the reality of the democratic process, in the light of a model ideal built on John Dewey’s political philosophy. The observations thus point towards a negotiation without a public, without inquiry and without evaluation, three elements that are nevertheless central to this analytical framework. These findings lead us to think on a radical improvement of the system that takes the democratic promise seriously.