A poll carried out for Terrafemina, an online women's magazine, has named Anne Sinclair as France's Woman of the Year.
Sinclair was a "symbol of courage and tenacity in face of the legal difficulties of her husband," the magazine said in announcing the results of the poll carried out on its behalf by CSA (Conseils-Sondages-Analyses).
No kidding.
It would be hard for anyone who tuned in to the news in the weeks following the arrest of her husband, former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of course, not to have been impressed by her stoicism (and money) as she "stood by her man".
But France's Woman of the Year?
Certainly not as far as the Green's presidential candidate Eva Joly is concerned.
"I find it sad," Joly said in an interview on news channel i>Télé.
"It reflects a view of life and gender relations that's very, very old-fashioned," she continued.
"I find it quite shocking, unbelievable even, that her popularity can be greater than that of a prominent politician such as Christine Lagarde," she added.
Lagarde, France's former finance minister and DSK's successor at the IMF came second in the poll.
Deserved or just too much Tammy Wynette about the outcome? What do you think?
The poll was conducted by telephone on December 6/7.
A representative sample of 1,005 people aged 18 and over were asked to choose from a list of 10 names, two women they considered had made the biggest impact in 2011.
Here, in a screenshot from the survey, the overall results.
You can download the full report in PDF format from the CSA website.
This comes as no surprise and even if the findings are based on circumspect reporting it seems pretty typical of the attitude. Do what you like monsieur, you are in charge and your wife will stand by you. Women seem to find it comfortable to worry about their weight, the mince season having started already, their hair color and their makeup. At a group I belonged to they had money in the pot and when I suggested a couple of days in Paris at an exhibition and staying at an ETappe hotel they were shocked who would cook Enri's tea. I know this is a generalisation but it appalls me how easily women take third place (their husband's car taking second).
Good for a first published book and an interesting way of looking at the French search for national identity... I know too little about recent French military history to entirely get it though. Jenni looks potentially interesting and I'll look out for future work.
No offence taken and people do say that kind of thing - "become a sociologist and serve in a chip shop" and so on. Enjoy the book, hardish going - read it already.
Happy new 2012...
I sometimes wish my old 'sparring partner' Germaine was still in Europe to spoon feed this to. She'd wheedle her way into Le Monde with a piece to make some of the polled poodles writhe.
Emily, my wife is a sociologist and I am a social anthropologist. Both of us have gone the whole hog and taught social science students as well as do research ourselves. One of my former postgrads is now the head of an entire prestigeous university institute and one of my wife's ex-students has a very high ranking UN post. We are both proud of being social scientists and see our branch of the humanities as something more akin to the best Beluga caviar - without fries. You being served it not as you imply serving crap. Put a decent sparkly something to that and enjoy being one of us.
@ Chant: that's what my French family told me at Christmas when we debated the subject. Apparently, it's known.
I'm sure Ann has a life of her own on the side!
Still a captive sample...
And the poll was carried out by the CSA - not Terrafemina.....
Yes, Irene, and it's not even the end of it (about Marine Le Pen). When I used to do surveys on the phone in London, I remember some people would just answer anything to get it over with, or would just say stupid answers on purpose, so I said before, this survey doesn't mean anything, like the pre-presidential surveys, which we will hear a lot about until May.
I've never heard of Terrafemina either.
Ohoho, now there's the answer in one - captive sample as we would say in anthropology...
No sales -it's online only ....
It doesn't surprise me that Marine Le Pen is on the list ...(saddens me, definitely)
Her father beat the socialists some years back and the presidential elections were between JM Le Pen and Chirac. I remember the wave of shame that swept through much of France and people turned out to vote against the Front National by voting Chirac. But under Marine le Pen the party is stronger ...... She is working to appear more moderate ... while keeping the party's extreme right wing views.....
Absolutely. Random samples often come from subscriber lists, which already 'tipifies' those 'voting' and I bet it is hardly a get on down to it working class rag. The editorial team will have slapped their backs for attracting a bit of attention and will be several editions in head in an attempt to raise sales figures for the sakes of survival.
You've got to remember the way polls are done. I used to work for poll companies in London in the late 90s and what I can tell you is this poll is worth nothing..I'm French and none of the French people I've talked to in the last months thinks that way.
No surprise at all, but a good warning light goes on with knowing that!
What shocks me most is that 4th is Marine Le Pen!
It's simple. She had ambitions to be First Lady and was prepardd to put up with his philandering. Allegedly he is a talented Economist. Shame he has no moral self -control. Don't have any sympathy.
If she gets it who next? I vote my wife Frances's woman of the year and I'm not even copying her this! Vote Daliah!