The French have addressed feminism calls to abolish the term Mademoiselle from official documents as it is deemed sexist. Prime minister Francois Fillon said the word discriminates against women by asking them to reveal if they are married. He has also banned the phrase ‘nom de jeune fille’ meaning ‘maiden name’ from all paperwork because it is ‘archaic’ and has ‘connotations of virginity’.
It was a major victory for French feminists yesterday when the change was revealed in an official decree to ministries and regional authorities.
From now on, Mademoiselle should be replaced with ‘Madame’, and maiden name must be swapped for ‘family name’ or ‘name of usage’.
The Guardian in the UK avoids using Miss or Mrs unless requested by the person. Instead the paper addresses all women as Ms. Whilst there has been an increase in the UK of using the term Ms, official documents and forms are still addressed and filled in as Miss or Mrs. So will the UK follow suit? I also wonder what other countries and races would do? For examples would the Punjabi’s drop Kaur (used after the forename for unmarried daughters) from their titles?
How do you address yourself? I enjoy being both Ms and Mrs when it suits me. The dual titling serves its purpose. At work, my marital status is not anyone’s business. In my personal life, it doesn’t concern me if people do know I am married and I am happy to be Mrs. However, when it comes down to official documents, I still fill them out at Mrs and fill my daughter’s titles as Miss.
What an awful lot of titles for women. I would prefer a move towards Mr and Ms across the board.
Bunty
The Chatterjis Blog 
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