Gender and family

Why police reconstruction in Alps village where boy, 2, went missing?

Investigators are focusing on witness statements, but the family’s lawyer has questioned why it is happening now

French company develops 3D baby scans for blind parents-to-be

The method, nicknamed the ‘Braille ultrasound’. allows blind or partially-sighted parents-to-be to experience pregnancy in a ‘memorable and inclusive’ way

Four-day week for divorced parents under review, says French PM

The idea could apply to parents who share custody of children

France announces more time off work for new parents

Expected to come into force from 2025, the new system will aim to share leave between parents and improve statutory pay

Why Macron wants the right to abortion added to French constitution

The president announced the plan as part of an homage to the French lawyer instrumental in making abortion legal in France in 1975

Why is there a historic low in babies being born in France?

The number has dropped to a level not seen since World War Two

Petition calls for ban on children’s junk food ads in France

A consumer association in France has launched a petition to ban junk food advertising to children on TV and the internet, in a bid to beat childhood obesity.

The real history of Mother’s Day in France

The Fête des Mères takes place on the last Sunday of May most years in France

Doctors in France warn against ‘trend’ of cutting ‘tongue-tie’ babies

Medical authority l'Académie de médecine has said that the practice should only be done in case of a genuine issue and not as a matter of course or as a preventive measure

Can wife adopt my children if we become French?

If we take French nationality can my wife adopt my adult children? One lives in France and one in the UK. NC

Children in France prescribed too many medicines, says new study

France has one of the highest levels of drug consumption in Europe, study finds, with half of children aged under two taking more than nine medicines per year

Covid France: Why do women report more vaccine side-effects than men?

Cultural, biological, and societal reasons may all be a factor in why up to 79.9% of side-effects reported after vaccines in France are from women

Getting a breast cancer scan in France: FAQs

Did you know that women aged 50-74 and living in France are eligible for a free breast cancer screening every two years, even without symptoms or any risk factors? We explain.

Covid-19: 16-year-old first minor to die in France

A 16-year-old girl has become the first minor in France to die from Covid-19, prompting calls for people to respect confinement measures, and to remember that the virus does not only affect the elderly.

New Paris show tells history of France...in Playmobil

More than 3,000 figures from children’s toy brand Playmobil are now on public display at the army museum at Les Invalides in Paris, arranged in scenes from French history.

Nonbinary pronoun ‘they’ sparks French language debate

A debate has been sparked in France over the lack of an official gender-neutral French word for “they” and “them”, after the pronoun “they” was voted Word of the Year 2019 in the United States.

'France let me keep baby UK wanted to take away'

Hundreds of British parents flee the country with their children to escape ‘forced adoption’ every year. Here, one mother who came to France tells her story...

For and against: Miss France beauty pageant

Miss France: outdated or a celebration of women?

Woman gives birth on dancefloor of French nightclub

A 19-year-old woman has given birth on a nightclub dance floor in Toulouse, with staff helping to deliver a healthy little boy before emergency services arrived.

Digital ads: French MPs claim ‘right to pee in peace’

A group of French MPs have demanded the right to “go to the toilet in peace”, and hit out against intrusive digital advertising, after one MP objected to advertising screens in the toilet of a Paris café.

New French law to ban 'gay cures'

MPs working on a bill that would outlaw so-called 'conversion therapies'

'UK forced adoption punishes parents for no reason'

‘Punishing people for crime they have not committed is wrong’, campaigner insists

Missing French couple found alive and well in Corsica

A couple from Normandy that had been reported missing during a holiday to Corsica have been found alive, with their daughter saying that “their love saved their lives”.

‘Women-only’ tourism trend booming in France

A French company is leading the way on “women-only tourism”, an increasingly-popular travel trend in Europe over the past five years, according to the World Tourism Organisation.

French president says Muslim hijab ‘not my business’

President Emmanuel Macron has said that it is “not his business” whether Muslim women wear a hijab in public spaces - but that it “is his business” when it comes to public services.

Life and times of ‘world’s first’ radical feminist

The Connexion celebrates one of France’s inspirational intellectual figures, who helped shape a global shift in political thinking in the Sixties and Seventies, but who is still defined by her relationship with Jean-Paul Sartre...

French toddler Fañch permitted Breton spelling of name

A Breton toddler named Fañch has been officially allowed to keep the “ñ” on his name, after the French Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that it was legal.

French people ‘giving up on the suit’ as sales plummet

Sales of men’s suits in France have fallen by 58% in recent years, prompting commentators to suggest that the outfit may be “on the decline” and no longer seen as a symbol of “prestige and power”.

France sued by young activists for climate ‘inaction’

Swedish teenage activist Greta Thunberg has launched legal action against five countries, including France, for alleged “inaction” on climate change.

French mayor admits bread and water lunch ‘awkward’

A mayor in France has admitted that his much-criticised decision to give only bread and water to two school children, whose parents had not paid their school canteen bills for a year, was “awkward”.

France outlaws all child smacking

France has become the 56th country worldwide to outlaw smacking and other similar forms of violence towards children, after a unanimous parliament vote.

French actor performs with autistic son in new show

A French actor has teamed up with his autistic son to perform an original theatre show at an educational festival, to challenge misconceptions about autism.

Wartime lovers who met before D-Day reunited in France

A French woman and an American World War Two veteran who first fell in love in France in 1944 have been reunited 75 years after they last met.

French train firm SNCF releases new railcards at €49

The price of railcards from French train company SNCF have been standardised at €49, with the new options offering ticket price reductions of up to 60%, depending on passenger age and train route.

New DNA study 500 years after da Vinci died in France

DNA from a lock of hair belonging to Leonardo da Vinci - which was first presented yesterday (May 2) - will now be used to shed more light on the polymath’s family, and his final years in France.

How have French girl and boy names changed since 1900?

The change in popular boy and girl names in France over the past 100 years has been documented and visualised in a new way, allowing people to “better understand the evolution of French society”.

Women can be la cheffe, la docteure

A woman docteur can now officially be called la docteure after the Académie Française voted in favour of the feminisation of job titles.

Strasbourg and Lyon to trial women bus request stops

Women travelling on public buses after 22h in Strasbourg and Lyon will soon be allowed to ask the driver to drop them off between two stops, if it will mean that they have a shorter walk home in the dark.

French women protest for International Women’s Day

Women across France are being called on to stop work at 15h40 today (March 8) as part of a wave of protests planned to mark the 42nd annual International Women’s Day.

Girls win more space in new playgrounds

Rennes is to be the second city in France to create “non-gender” playgrounds which do not allow “boys’ games” to dominate.

France gives young people €500 arts and culture pass

Young people in five French departments are to be given a free “culture pass” app pre-loaded with €500-worth of credit each, to improve their access to cultural and artistic activities in their area.

France may allow 17-year-olds to get driving licences

Young people aged 17 may soon be able to get their driving licence in France, under certain conditions, according to a new parliamentary report.

Two missing 16-year-old girls from Lyon found safe

Two 16-year-old lycée students from near Lyon that had been “worryingly” missing for a week have been found “safe and well”.

Lyon police search for two missing 16-year-old girls

Two 16-year-old lycée students from near Lyon have now been “worryingly” missing for a week, the French police nationale has confirmed, as the search continues.

Associations await decision on France sex worker law

Nine sex worker associations in France, including Médecins du Monde , are awaiting a decision from national council Le Conseil Constitutionnel on the constitutional position of prostitution in the country.

Paris makes travel free for kids and disabled youth

Children will be allowed to travel free on Paris public transport from September 1 this year, the capital’s Mairie has confirmed, in measures that will also help young disabled people and secondary students.

French director controversy over ‘women aged 50’ quip

French director and writer Yann Moix has caused controversy after saying he “could not love a 50-year-old woman” and “only goes out with Asian women”.

Gilets Jaunes: Macron to make official statement today

French President Emmanuel Macron is to make an official statement on the Gilets Jaunes protest situation at 20h today (Monday December 10).

Are we making a mountain out of parental equality?

As France debates extending paternity leave, Nick Inman ponders equality rights

Smacking should be banned in France, says law head

Smacking your child should soon be legally banned in France, according to national legal authority head, Le Défenseur des Droits, Jacques Toubon.

Babies born in France without arms: Another case found

Another baby has been confirmed as being born without arms in the Ain department, in a medical mystery that is still being investigated by health authorities in France.

Thousands turn out for LGBT awareness protest in Paris

Around 3,000 people took to the streets for a pro-LGBT march in Paris this weekend to raise awareness of and condemn homophobic violence, after several homophobic incidents in the capital recently.

New logo in France for infant-suitable food and drink

A new logo designed to make it easier to see which products are especially suitable for the nutritional needs of babies aged 0-3 is appearing on French supermarket shelves.

Most French people would choose cremation over burial

The majority of French people would prefer to be cremated after they die, a new poll has found, suggesting a rise in the popularity of the choice.

French ethics report: All women should have IVF access

The French national ethics committee has reiterated its stance in favour of extending medically-assisted reproduction to all women, including lesbians, and lifting anonymity of sperm donors in some cases.

French senator calls for new inquiry into Levothyrox

A French senator has called for a new inquiry into the ongoing Levothyrox thyroid medication scandal to get “a real view of the situation”.

Rennes market celebrates rise of French female chefs

The city of Rennes is celebrating female chefs this weekend (Sunday September 2), by including only restaurants and food by women in the 10th edition of its monthly food markets.

Paris ‘eco-friendly’ public urinal causing controversy

A new public “eco-friendly” urinal in Paris is causing controversy after residents have complained about its placement next to a 17th century hotel, in the historic area of Ȋle Saint-Louis.

French parents seek €4m for children’s lifesaver trial

A couple from Île-de-France are seeking to raise €4m to allow their two young children to take part in a clinical trial that may improve or cure the fatal neurodegenerative condition from which they suffer.

French teens lauded for handing in €4,000 train find

A group of teenagers has been commended by police after they found more than €4,000 in banknotes on an RER A train, and handed it in to authorities.

Paris LGBT Pride: why marches are still needed

Paris’s LGBT Pride – La Marche des Fiertés – is one of the capital’s biggest open-air events but why are such marches still relevant? We spoke to Clémence Zamora Cruz, spokeswoman for organisers Inter-LGBT.

Limoges porcelain set gifted to new royal baby

A set of traditional porcelain pottery from Limoges has been gifted to the British ambassador to France, who is set to present it to the newest British royal baby, Prince Louis of Cambridge.

Birth rate drop hints at ‘problematic mindset change’

The birth rate in France has dropped significantly and is likely to stay low for the foreseeable future due to “a problematic change in mindset” that is not good for the nation, an expert has said.

Street harassment could soon be fined by up to €350

Street harassment could soon be punished by fines of between €90 and €350, if a government proposal goes ahead.

Actress Huppert comes out in support of #MeToo

Isabelle Huppert, one of the country’s most celebrated actresses, has come out in support of the #MeToo anti-sexual harassment movement, saying that it should have happened “sooner”.