法国官方取消“小姐”称谓

Official French documents will no longer force women to reveal their marital status by requiring them to choose the title Mademoiselle or Madame.2

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has ordered all regional and local governments to remove the title“Mademoiselle”—used for unmarried women and implying a youthful immaturity3—from official documents. From now on, people filling out government forms will get just two choices: Madame or Monsieur4.

The change, signed in a memo to regional and local governments by Fillon, comes after lobbying from womens groups who argued that Mademoiselle is sexist.5 Its male equivalent—Monsieur—does not distinguish marital status.6 Mademoiselle also carries connotations of youth and immaturity, making it potentially problematic for unmarried women after a certain age, and confers a lesser status.7

Respondents on official documents will also no longer be asked to supply their maiden names,8 their fathers last name, or the name of their husbands.

1. Mademoiselle:〈法〉小姐（法语中对未婚女子的尊称，相当于Miss）。

2. marital status: 婚姻状况；Madame:〈法〉夫人，太太（法语中对已婚妇女的尊称，相当于Mrs.）。

3. immaturity: 不成熟。

4. Monsieur:〈法〉先生（用于法国人名前，相当于Mr.或Sir）。

5. lobby: 游说（政府或有政治权力的人）；sexist: 性别歧视者（含贬义）。

6. equivalent: 对应词；distinguish: 区别。

7. connotations: 隐含意义；problematic: 成问题的；confer:赋予，带来；lesser: 次要的。

8. respondent:（尤指调查中）回答问题的人；maiden name:（女性的）婚前姓，娘家姓。