Fast Fact:
In a policy borne out of hundred-year-old fears that a
declining French population would be vulnerable to
military attack, the government now subsidizes family
life in France to the tune of forty billion dollars
a year.
Posted on 12/11/2006 5:39:13 AM PST by yankeedame
Dec. 9, 2006
Fast Fact:
In a policy borne out of hundred-year-old fears that a
declining French population would be vulnerable to
military attack, the government now subsidizes family
life in France to the tune of forty billion dollars
a year.
(CBS) Lawyer Anne Horn and her family have a busy household: three kids, different schedules and working parents. It's a familiar tale, but Sheila MacVicar reports that because they live in France, Horn and her family get help from the government's very family friendly policies.
"Maybe we won't have anymore desperate housewives in France," Horn says. "It's changing a lot."
One hundred and sixty three countries around the globe offer at least some subsidy to new mothers. In America, federal law entitles some working mothers to twelve weeks unpaid leave. The rest get nothing.
But French families are entitled to up to three years paid maternity leave with a guarantee that mom's job will be there for her when she returns. There is also subsidized child care and a whole host of tax credits.
And baby number three brings twice the government allowance of baby number two.
"For the third child I was able to take a long maternity leave, and I think it's a great opportunity because I was sure to find my job after this," Horn says.
Most of Europe is going gray, and there are worries about a future where the number of people on pensions outnumbers younger workers funding those pensions through taxes. That kind of imbalance could be a disaster.
But that's not the case in France, where fertility rates are up. France's booming birthrate is now the second highest in Europe. It's such a resounding success that officials from Germany, Thailand and even Japan—all fearful of their own aging populations—are studying the French model.
In a policy borne out of hundred-year-old fears that a declining French population would be vulnerable to military attack, the government now subsidizes family life in France to the tune of forty billion dollars a year.
The goal now is to help women work—eighty percent of French women do—and have babies.
"We really focus now on reconciling babies and bosses, and that means we put more and more emphasis on child care facilities," says Vincent Mahe of the Health and Benefits Ministry.
And that may be the key, say the French. Not only take care of working mothers, but convince families that their children will be well cared for from a very young age, and they'll have more babies—and maybe a little less guilt.
©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The only problem is that the Muslim portion of the population is reproducing faster so I assume that they are taking advantage of the subsidies/incentives.
It's about time people in Europe realize extinction is forever. Of course their glorification of feminism will work to keep most middle class women believing it is just not normal to have 4 or 5 kids -- the number they should be having to correct the babyboomer's forgetting to have children.
Wow.....I assume the government pays for this.
The Germans have been offering similiar incentives in the form of "kindergeld." You are right, it isn't working. The money isn't enough for people to change their lifestyle. The basic culture has to change. In the meantime, the population is declining and the remaining working population is having a harder and harder time supporting an aging population with an overly generous social welfare system.
THey want to increase there birthrate? Simple outlaw abortion and the abortion pills, they will see an immediate jump in birthrates.
Yup. Non-muslim birthrates in france are dramatically below replacement rate.
Having babies requires more virility than French men are allowed to have.
what is the average family size of french muslims?...
Someone told me that the poor immigrants were really prospering in france and there was a 7:1 ratio.. that the "palestinians" were still having 8 children families
Is the spread that big? nuclear familires vs 8 kids?
I have no idea what the average family size is of French Muslims. Let me know if you find out.
"The government" never pays for anything. Taxpayers do.
I would be willing to bet all the cheese in france that 95% of Frances Booming birth rate is due to muslims.
America Alone Ping
A culture of death reaction to its inevitable outcome!
Humane Vitae Ping!
That's probably because the rate of pregnancies of Muslim women predominate. They don't get abortions. They are intentionally reproducing themselves into being the majority.
DO they take into account RU-486?
Did they figure out what the real problem is yet? <sarcasm off/
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.