Feminists win 'Mademoiselle' fight

After years of lobbying, Prime Minister Francois Fillon’s office yesterday released a circular with official orders to phase out the use of ‘mademoiselle’ on administrative documents. Critics had argued that men were not asked to identify whether they were married, so neither should women.

Considering it comes in an election year, activist groups Osez le Feminisme and Chiennes de Garde are also lobbying candidates for a reduction in the pay gap between men and women, supporting the right to abortion and birth control, and limited sexist advertising, reports AFP.

How successful Fillon will be remains to be seen. Similar ministerial circulars issued in 1967 and 1974 were basically ignored.

Cassandra Tanti