FRENCH WIVES' CHARTER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22976, 2 March 1938, Page 7

FRENCH WIVES' CHARTER

BRITISH ACT AS MODEL MARRIAGE OATH MODIFIED The French Parliament has passed a bill granting to French married women rights much on the lines of the Married Woman's Property Act in England; The bill slightly modifies the marriage oath by eliminating the words: "The wife owes obedience to her husband." It substitutes a text which proclaims that the husband is head of the family, that he can choose the domicile of the family, and that his wife is compelled to cohabit. The alternative, as formerly, is a justifiable claim for divorce.

Other points of the bill are of considerable importance to married women inasmuch as they stipulate that: 1. A married woman may enter the university, pass examinations for various liberal professions, have a separate bank account, draw and sign cheques in her own name, accept an inheritance or gifts, and witness a will, subject to the provisions of the civil code concerning private property. 2. A married woman also may carry on a business in her own name with her husband's consent. She may also choose a separate profession, but in this case her husband may oppose this action, unless his disapproval is contrary to the family interests. The wife may appeal for a ruling of the Court.