Government says honorific is an ‘unjustified and unnecessary reference to women’s marital status’ and should be removed

It was once the preferred form of address for the fashion designer Coco Chanel and a handful of Gallic screen stars. But, now considered an unnecessary and unjustified reference to women’s marital status, the French government has decreed the honorific Mademoiselle should be phased out from official forms.

After a campaign by feminist groups, the French prime minister’s office has issued a circular saying the Mademoiselle option should be removed from all administrative documents in the vast state bureaucracy.

Until now, women were required to identify themselves as married (Madame) or unmarried (Mademoiselle) on everything from tax forms to insurance claims and voting cards. There was no neutral option like the English Ms. Men only had to tick one option – Monsieur – whether married or not.

The government is advising that all women should be referred to as Madame, with no reference to whether they are married or not. The circular noted “the persistence of terms referring, without justification or need, to women’s matrimonial situation”. More.

See: The Guardian