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| The
French society (3) : law, ... |
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Women in political life
- The proportion of women
in politics is growing but is still too low : 12,8% in the National
Assembly (2002) only 18% in 2007, 34,9% in the Senate (2004),43,6%
of the French members of the European Parliament (2004), 37,3%
of the members of Regional Councils (2004) and 35% of City Counsellors
(2008) but only 13,8% of mayors (2008, but only 6,7% in 2002).
- Regarding women in the national
Parliament, with only 12,8%, France ranks 21rst in Europe,
compared to Sweden 45%, Finland and Denmark 38%, Netherlands
37%. See detailed figures.
- The "Observatoire de la
Parity" in an official body in charge of monitoring the
progresses of parity men/women in political life ; the situation
in France is improving, but there is still a long way to go....
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- Women were only given the vote
in 1945.
- A French law ( June 6,
2000) demands that in any political party, the proportion of
women running for office is 50%. If it is below, the party is
penalized and the grant it receives from the state is reduced
accordingly. In 2002, the UMP (Center-Right) was penalized 4,26
million Euros, the Socialist Party 1,65 million, etc....
- Popular women in French politics
include : Simone Veil (who
legalized abortion in the 1970s), Ségolène
Royal, Rachida Dati,
...
- More to come
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USEFUL TIPS ....The French love to
wear a decoration and you can see it on their jackets. Apart
from purely military decorations, the four most prestigious decorations
are :
- Légion d'honneur (red), the most prestigious, for military
(mostly) or civil services (3,000 to 5,000 awarded a year, 112,000
bearers)
- Ordre du Mérite (blue), for civil services (3,000 to
5,000 awarded a year, 195,000 bearers) (the webmaster is the
proud bearer of it !)
- Palmes Académiques (purple), mostly for teachers
- Médaille des Arts et Lettres (striped), for artists,
often awarded to foreign artists
Each of them has several levels : " chevalier " (knight)
is a ribbon, " officier " is a round button, "
grand officier ", " commandeur ", etc are larger
buttons. When you receive it, it is always a rather formal ceremony
: the person who presents you the medal (and already has it for
him/gerself) gives a speech to explain how much you deserve it,
then he/she pins it on your chest on behalf of the President
of France, then, you give a thank-you speech and try to look
modest but explain that you do deserve it. There is also the
"Médaille du Travail", granted to any employee
who worked for 3 employers ore less for 25 (silver) or 30 (gold)
years : when you receive it, you also receive a gift (from your
employer) of one month salary ! |
The French judicial system
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The judicial system in France
is fundamentally different from what Americans are used to. Among
the major differences (as established by someone who is not a
lawyer !) :
- Written law
:
in France, the major source of law is written law as opposed
to jurisprudence, which can also be used but only if written
law is not sufficient to judge the case adequately ;
- Appointed judges : judges are
not elected but appointed by the State ; constitutional provisions
ensure their independence ; the French are as shocked by judges
who would have to please the voters as Americans are by judges
who would have to resist the State
- Accusatory vs inquisitory procedure : in a criminal case, establishing the facts is the
job of the " juge d'instruction ", a magistrate
who manages the police investigations and brings the case to
court : in court, new facts may appear but the facts are supposed
to be already established and the cross examination as we see
it in the (many) American series on TV looks very strange to
the French
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- Several types of jurisdictions, according
to the nature of the case : civil and/or criminal (Tribunal d'Instance,
Tribunal Correctionnel, Cour d'Assises), commercial or labor
disputes (Tribunal de Commerce, Conseils de Prudhommes), any
case involving the State (Tribunal Administratif, Conseil d'Etat)
and several other specialized juridictions ; for the most serious
criminal cases, the Cour d'Assises includes a jury of nine citizens
and three judges
- Plea bargaining is against
French laws ; this is why a case like Executive
Life is so difficult to manage from a French standpoint ;
- Lawyers
:
generally speaking, the French are horrified by the influence,
the power and the cost of lawyers in the USA; the development
of the influence of lawyers in French corporate life is considered
one of the major signs of "Americanization" through
US law firms.
- More to come
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| DID YOU KNOW THAT.....? Americanization
through TV : in French courts, you call the judge "Monsieur
le Président" (Mr.President) but many young offenders
now use the word "Your Honor", because they have seen
so many American series on TV. It is not very good for their
case because French judges hate it... That is considered part
of the "americanization" of the French
society. |
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of contents
To more about French
society
To French attitudes,
French values,
French issues
To religion
Back to home
page
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Harriet Welty
Rochefort writes articles and books about France and the French.
Order her books :
- "French Toast, An American in Paris
Celebrates The Maddening Mysteries of the French", St.Martin's Press,
New York, 1999
- "French Fried, The Culinary Capers
of An American in Paris", St.Martin's Press, New York, 2001
More on Harriet's books (excerpts, upcoming
events, testimonials, etc..)
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