‘Mademoiselle' gets the boot
French government orders word to be phased out
Paris: Forget what you learned in French class about "madame" and "mademoiselle". The French government now says women's marital status shouldn't matter, at least when it comes to this country's far-reaching bureaucracy.
A new circular from the prime minister's office on Tuesday orders officials to phase out the use of "mademoiselle" on administrative documents.
Until now, a woman has been required to identify herself as a married "madame" or an unmarried "mademoiselle" on everything from tax forms to insurance claims and voting cards. France offers no neutral option like the English "Ms".
Men don't face this issue: Their only option is "monsieur," married or not.
It's all the more strange given that French young people widely shun matrimony, and more than half of French children are born to unmarried parents.
Feminist groups have been pushing for the abolition of the "mademoiselle" option for years and hailed the circular.
"Everywhere we are asked to declare our marital status. This is not imposed on men, it's not important whether they are married," said Julie Muret of the group Osez le Feminisme.
Still, proponents of the change said they were wary that the move was only aimed at vote-grabbing.
