French Pro-Natalist Policy

French Pro-Natalist Policy

1. the decline in population was due to more women pursuing careers and having few children later on in their lives.

2. In 1939, the 'Code de la Famille' was passed. It included incentives such as:

   • £1000 for a third child
   • Maternity leave on near full pay
   • full benefits until the youngest reaches 18
   • 30% transport fare reductions with 3 children
   • 174 euros for extra-curricular activities
   • favoured in the allocation of council houses
   • full pension schemes to mothers of multiple children
   • Banning the sale of contraceptives (repealed in 1967).

3. Currently, 81% of women are employed. By 2050, 35% will be over 65 - low number of economically active people. 13 billions euros needed for social security and healthcare for the elderly.

4. SUCCESSES

   • more babies in 2006 than in any other year in the last quarter century
   • replaced future workforce and prevented a high dependency ratio
   • 2nd most prolific country in europe
   • raising a child could cost virtually nothing to 500 euros for the most wealthy
   • Child-orientated development policies e.g. provisioning of creches, day nurseries etc
   • Frances fertility rate has risen from 1.67 in 1992 to 1.98 today

5. FAILURES

   • complex policy that is hard to monitor
   • The ex PM de Villepin can provide no evidence to support the claim that it will be the most populous country in the EU by 2030 : France 69.2m / Germany 77.9m
   • struggles to fund it
   • immigration can be claimed to be the cause of the increased fertility rate
   • UN predicts the FR won't raise above the replacement rate of 2.1
   • by 2050, ⅓ of the population will be over 60.
   • Recently, the French government announced plans to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 (by 2018)