Women in Fontenay-sous-Bois in the Val de Marne will no longer be called Mademoiselle, whether married, single or divorced.
The local council decided on 16 February 2012 to remove the mentions on official documents of “Nom de jeune fille” (Maiden name) and Mademoiselle (Miss) from all official papers.
The measures are an attempt to level the playing fields between the sexes, “l’égalité hommes-femmes”.
The deputy mayor – rights and equality for women, Nora Saint-Gal explained that “We are on a symbolic level here, but it helps us to put a finger on things that have survived the past which carries invisible discriminations. We can ask the marital status of a woman without using the word Miss (demoiselle), otherwise we could also talk about Master (damoiseau) for men”.
The debate on getting rid of the titles “nome de jeune fille” (maiden name) and “mademoiselle” (Miss) are not a new thing. Two circulars dating from 1967 and 1974 stated that, ” The use of one or the other of these titles (…) doesn’t in any way constitute any elements of citizenship of the parties concerned.”
The subject has come back into the spotlight in September 2011, when feminist groups launched the campaign, “Mademoiselle, la case en trop.” (Miss – too many boxes too fill in)
In November 2011, Roselyne Bachelot, the Solidarity Minister also called for the fields in official forms “Mademoiselle” and “Nom de Jeune fille” to be removed from official forms as it constitutes an intrusion into people’s private lives to the detriment of women.
The title in English, “Ms.” does not exist in France – only Miss or Mrs – but that could all change after the case of Rosny-sous-Bois.
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