The French society (3) : law, ...
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....
  • 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

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

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

 

  • 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

 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.

To table of contents

To more about French society

To French attitudes, French values, French issues

To religion

Back to home page

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..)

 site still under construction
To email us

 If you like this site, please bookmark it or create a link!

To top of the page