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Bonuses For Having Babies In France
CBS News ^ | Dec. 9, 2006 | staff writer

Posted on 12/11/2006 5:39:13 AM PST by yankeedame

Dec. 9, 2006

Bonuses For Having Babies In France


As Population Ages, Government Benefits Promote Family Friendly Policies


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.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: eurabia

1 posted on 12/11/2006 5:39:16 AM PST by yankeedame
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To: yankeedame

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.


2 posted on 12/11/2006 5:43:59 AM PST by kabar
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To: kabar

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.


3 posted on 12/11/2006 5:56:44 AM PST by Bushwacker777
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To: yankeedame
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.

Wow.....I assume the government pays for this.

4 posted on 12/11/2006 6:01:30 AM PST by Always Right
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To: Bushwacker777

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.


5 posted on 12/11/2006 6:03:37 AM PST by kabar
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To: kabar

THey want to increase there birthrate? Simple outlaw abortion and the abortion pills, they will see an immediate jump in birthrates.


6 posted on 12/11/2006 6:11:44 AM PST by aft_lizard (born conservative...I chose to be a republican)
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To: kabar
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.

Yup. Non-muslim birthrates in france are dramatically below replacement rate.  

7 posted on 12/11/2006 6:31:58 AM PST by zeugma (I reject your reality and substitute my own in its place. (http://www.zprc.org/))
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To: yankeedame

Having babies requires more virility than French men are allowed to have.


8 posted on 12/11/2006 6:52:29 AM PST by TBP
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To: aft_lizard
If you check these figures, France has a lower rate of abortion than we do.
9 posted on 12/11/2006 6:53:46 AM PST by kabar
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To: kabar

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?


10 posted on 12/11/2006 7:26:41 AM PST by himno hero
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To: himno hero

I have no idea what the average family size is of French Muslims. Let me know if you find out.


11 posted on 12/11/2006 7:29:43 AM PST by kabar
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To: Always Right
Wow.....I assume the government pays for this.

"The government" never pays for anything. Taxpayers do.

12 posted on 12/11/2006 7:35:36 AM PST by untenured
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To: yankeedame

I would be willing to bet all the cheese in france that 95% of Frances Booming birth rate is due to muslims.


13 posted on 12/11/2006 7:42:10 AM PST by Walkingfeather (u)
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To: yankeedame

America Alone Ping

14 posted on 12/11/2006 8:55:19 AM PST by isaiah55version11_0 (For His Glory)
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To: yankeedame
But that's not the case in France, where fertility rates are up. France's booming birthrate is now the second highest in Europe.

That's a pretty weak statement considering the fertility rates in almost the entirety of Europe are at 'irrecoverable death spiral' levels. I'd also like to know if they're factoring in the level of Islamic fertility in France--which would boost up the general fertility rate quite a bit, but only add to the underlying problem...
15 posted on 12/11/2006 9:00:54 AM PST by Antoninus ("Dealing with the pampered and effeminate Americans will be easy." --Osama bin Laden)
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To: yankeedame
The goal now is to help women work—eighty percent of French women do—and have babies.

This is the real problem, right here.
16 posted on 12/11/2006 9:01:42 AM PST by Antoninus ("Dealing with the pampered and effeminate Americans will be easy." --Osama bin Laden)
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To: Coleus; NYer; Salvation; narses; Pyro7480

A culture of death reaction to its inevitable outcome!

Humane Vitae Ping!


17 posted on 12/11/2006 10:50:19 AM PST by markomalley (Vivat Iesus!)
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To: kabar

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.


18 posted on 12/11/2006 1:27:53 PM PST by vharlow (http://www.vventures.net)
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To: kabar

DO they take into account RU-486?


19 posted on 12/11/2006 5:31:57 PM PST by aft_lizard (born conservative...I chose to be a republican)
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To: yankeedame

Did they figure out what the real problem is yet? <sarcasm off/


20 posted on 12/11/2006 5:39:31 PM PST by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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