Camille Peugny, a sociology professor and director of the Professions, Institutions, Temporalities laboratory (Printemps, CNRS/University of Versailles-Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines unit), has studied how French society is changing, particularly the decline of group activities and the growth of individualism. Her research is based on two studies: one looking at housekeepers in a western French city working for a personal services company, and another analyzing a yearly survey by the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs. The survey found that France's upper middle classes have shifted from seeing inequality as a societal issue to viewing it through the lens of individual effort and merit over the past twenty years. Peugny believes this change is linked to the rise of neoliberalism, an economic ideology that gained strength in the early 1980s. This ideology encouraged the government to focus on economic growth, which led to the reduction of many social welfare programs that had been put in place after 1945. As traditional community support systems weakened, people began to rely more on themselves. In response to the reduced support from the state, different social groups started to protect their own interests, even if it meant harming others. Peugny defines the upper middle classes as those with much higher incomes and education levels than the average person. These individuals, who feel they have the right to voice their opinions and use media, have increasingly supported the ideas of competition, personal responsibility, and merit. She connects these beliefs to a political shift towards the right. This shift is reflected in their preference for right-wing political parties. The education system has played a major role in this transformation, becoming a central place for competition. The move from widespread inequality in access to education to a more subtle form of segregation based on the types of schools and educational paths students take has led the upper middle classes to invest more in securing the best opportunities for their children. This has reinforced the belief that personal success or failure is due to individual effort, promoting the idea of meritocracy. Marwan Mohammed, a researcher at the Maurice Halbwachs Center (CMH, CNRS/EHESS/ENS-PSL/Inrae unit), shares his personal journey from struggling in school to becoming a sociologist in his book C’était pas gagné! (Seuil, 2026). Described as a "socio-autobiography," the book emphasizes the role of family, friends, and professional connections in helping him overcome social challenges. Mohammed rejects the idea of being a "class traitor," stating that he wants to share his success with his community instead of moving away from it. Peugny warns about the long-term effects of growing individualism and the potential impact of wealth passed down from the baby boomer generation. She believes that these trends, along with climate change, could lead to either more social division or a chance to create a fairer society and a new agreement on how to share resources.