Ms. magazine  -- more than a magazine a movement

SIGN UP FOR MS. DIGEST, JOBS, NEWS AND ALERTS
SEARCH

FEMINIST WIRE NEWSBRIEFS

ABOUT
VIEW SUMMER ISSUE
SHOP MS. STORE
MS. IN THE CLASSROOM
FEMINIST DAILY WIRE
FEMINIST RESOURCES
PRESS
JOBS AT MS.
READ BACK ISSUES
CONTACT
RSS (XML)
 
feminist wire | daily newsbriefs

April 24, 2006

French Women Urge End to Official Use of 'Mademoiselle'

French feminists have petitioned the government to remove the title 'mademoiselle' from official documents, making 'madame' the appropriate title for all women. The largest feminist organization in France, Les Chiennes de Guarde (The Guard Dogs), supports the appeal, on the grounds that using both titles is discriminatory, as it unfairly requires women to disclose their marital status and sexual availability. The petition will require 7,000 signatures to move forward – so far, 2,300 have been collected online.

There is no plan to create a third option, like the English-language ‘Ms.’ American and British feminists agitated for the use of Ms. several decades ago. Ms. magazine was founded in 1972, but The New York Times only began to use the title in its news and editorial articles in 1986, after much pressure from the women’s movement.

JOIN Ms. and receive the premier feminist magazine delivered to your door

Media Resources: BBC 4/13/06; Cape Times 4/23/06; Le Monde 4/20/06; NYT memo 1986


© Feminist Majority Foundation, publisher of Ms. magazine

If you liked this story, consider making a tax-deductible donation to support Ms. magazine.

 

 

Send to a Friend
Their
Your
Comments
(optional)


More Feminist News

2/9/2010 Roeder Attorneys Seek New Trial - Attorneys for Scott Roeder, who was convicted last month in the murder of abortion provider George Tiler, MD, asked for a new trial yesterday. . . .
 
2/9/2010 Court Renews Title IX Suit Against UC Davis - A panel of 9th Circuit Court of Appeals judges reinstated a Title IX lawsuit yesterday against the University of California, Davis. . . .
 
2/8/2010 Laura Chinchilla Elected First Woman President of Costa Rica - In a landmark victory on Sunday, Laura Chinchilla was elected as the first woman president of Costa Rica. . . .