Am not sure why this surprises me, but when I read in the Independent yesterday that the top male brass at LVMH is on the testing panel for their brands mascara, I had to sit back and think – really?, are you serious?

Let’s get this straight, according to the figures quoted in the article;

80% of LVMH shoppers are women, 61% of its executives and 31% of its executive committee members are women, yet it’s the big chief and his henchmen who test and approve the vibrating mascara.

Recognising this is an issue and probably (ok, I’m more than a little bit cynical here) because of France’s new quota laws which demand that 40% of non-executive directors be women within six years, founder Arnault has instructed its head of HR to work on increasing the numbers from 31% to 35% for its executive committee members by 2012.

But is this it?

One week after International Women’s Day where Daniel Craig drags up to demonstrate the inequality of women in the world, we read that the only reason for women to be employed in an industry where they are the biggest consumers is to tick off a government requirement.