Family Policy in France: Old Challenges, New Tensions

Familienpolitik, Reform, Frankreich, Family policy, Reform, France

Treball i fecunditat a la França i a l'Alemanya de l'oest : fan proeses les franceses?

Les franceses són a la vegada més fecundes i sovint més actives que les alemanyes de l'oest. A l'ex-RFA les parelles segueixen més sovint el model tradicional de la família. El context cultural alemany incita les mares a deixar la seva activitat professional després d'un naixement. En interacció amb els sistemes de valors dominants i per un "joc de miralls", han estat elaborades diferents polítiques familiars en els dos països. A França, els poders públics han portat a terme una sèrie de mesures per ajudar les parelles a conciliar millor les seves obligacions familiars i la seva vida professional. Es valora la socialització precoç de les criatures i les franceses, sentint-se legitimades socialment, han interioritzat de manera molt forta el model de la "mare que treballa". En canvi, a l'altra banda del Rhin les mancances dins de l'àmbit de les infrastructures d'acolliment als infants petits, els horaris escolars i les modalitats de permís per maternitat inciten les mares a interrompre la seva vida professional, o almenys a recórrer al treball a temps parcial. Això suggereix que, tot contravenint les creixents aspiracions femenines per participar en la vida econòmica, els poders públics alemanys participen en el procés de manteniment d'un nivell baix en la fecunditat alemanya. Aquesta anàlisi comparativa repren així, una vegada més, la qüestió de la complexitat de les relacions entre fecunditat i comportaments professionals de les dones.Las francesas son a la vez más fértiles y frecuentemente más activas que las alemanas del oeste. A la ex-RFA las pareja siguen más a menudo el modelo tradicional de la familia. El contexto cultural alemán incita a las madres a dejar su actividad profesional después de un nacimiento. En interacción con los sistemas de valores dominantes y por un "juego de espejos", se han elaborado diferentes políticas familiares en los dos paises. En Francia, los poderes públicos han llevado a cabo una serie de medidas para ayudar a las parejas a conciliar mejor sus obligaciones familiares y su vida profesional. Se valora la sociabilización precoz de las criaturas y las francesa, sintiéndose legitimadas socialmente, han interiorizado de manera muy fuerte el modelo de la "madre que trabaja". En cambio, en la otra orilla del Rhin las carencias dentro del ámbito de las infraestructuras de acogimiento a los niños pequeños, los horarios escolares y las modalidades de permiso de maternidad incitan a la madres a interrumpir su vida profesional, o al menos a recorrer al trabajo de media jornada. Esto sugiere que, contraviniendo las crecientes aspiraciones femeninas para participar en la vida económica, los poderes públicos alemanes participan en el proceso de mantenimiento de un nivel bajo en la fertilidad alemana. Este análisis comparativo reemprende asi, una vez más, la cuestión de la complejidad de las relaciones entre la fertilidad y los comportamientos profesionales de las mujeres.Les Françaises sont à la fois plus fécondes et plus fréquemment actives que les Allemandes de l'Ouest. En ex-RFA les couples adherent plus souvent au modèle traditionnel de la famille. Le contexte culturel allemand incite donc les mères à cesser leur activité professionelle à la suite d'une naissance. En interaction avec les systèmes de valeurs dominants et par un "jeu de miroir", des politiques familiales différentes ont été élaborées dans les deux pays. En France, les pouvoirs publics ont mis en place une série de mesures pour aider les couples à mieux concilier leurs obligations familiales et leur vie professionnelle. La socialisation précoce des enfants est valorisée, et les Françaises, se sentant légitimées socialement, ont fortement intériorisé le modèle de la "mère qui travaille". Par contre, Outre-Rhin, les carences dans le domaine des infrastructures d'accueil réservées aux jeunes enfants, les horaires scolaires et les modalités du congé parental incitent les mères à interrompre leur activité professionnelle, ou du moin à recourir au travail à temps partiel. Ceci suggère qu'en contrecarrant les aspirations féminines croissantes à participer à la vie économique, les pouvoirs publics allemands participent aux processus de maintien du faible niveau de la fécondité allemande. Cette analyse comparative pose donc, de nouveau, la question de la complexité des relations entre fécondité et comportements professionnels des femmes.French women have both higher fertility and higher employment rates than those in former Western Germany, where couples more often comply to the traditional family model. The German cultural context encourages mothers to give up their professional activity at up child-birth. Interacting with the dominant value systems and using a a "jeu de miroirs", different family policies have been elaborated in the two countries. In France, the public authorities have established a series of measures designed to help couples to reconcile family obligations with professional activities. Early social integration of children is viewed favorably, and French women, feeling socially legitimated, have fully absorbed the "working mother" model. By contrast, on the other bank of the Rhine, the absence of adequate infrastructures for the care of small children, school timetables and maternity leave regulations encourage mothers to interrupt their professional activities or, at least, to reduce them to part-time work. This suggests that, in contradiction to women's growing claims to participate in economic life, German public authorities contribute to the mainteinance of their low fecundity rates. This comparative analysis therefore introduces, yet again, the question of the complexity of the relationship between fertility and women's professional behaviour

Family Policy in France

Encyclopédie en 3 volumes, 1996 pagesOver the last two decades, contrary to the pension system, the family policy branch of the Social security system has been immune to cutbacks in provision and no retrenchment measures have been implemented. This mirrors the salience of family-related issues in the social and political agenda. This also reflects the fact that the family branch and its large network of Local Allowance Funds (CAFs) are responsible for the management of welfare state provisions. The family branch is a transfer-heavy system which aims at reducing social inequalities and fighting against poverty. It also provides families with a rich array of universal cash benefits which aim to lighten the financial burden for families irrespective of their income. These measures are successful in reducing the poverty rate among families, in particular lone parent families. Since the seventies, family policy has progressively integrated the ‘working mother model' and the range of measures to help working parents has recently been expanded yet again

Compte-rendu : Competing claims in Work and Family Life by Tanja van der Lippe, Pascale Peters (eds.). Edward Elgar, Cheltenham and Northampton, 2007, 278 pp.

Compte rendu pour "British Journal of Industrial Relations"Against the background of dramatic changes in the labour market and the evolution of new management principles this book addresses issues that have pushed their way to the forefront of the policy agenda: the pressure of increased demands on time; the rise of the culture of long working hours; and conflicts linked to the management of everyday life

Equal access to quality care: Lessons from France on providing high quality and affordable early childhood education and care

Along with the Nordic countries, France leads the European Union in public childcare provision and benefits aimed at reducing child care costs for families. It has also widely been recognised that the French childcare system has many strengths. In recent years, however, in the context of economic uncertainties, policy makers have been confronted with new tensions and dilemmas. While France has continued over the last decade to progressively consolidate and enhance its promotion of policies to support the work/family life balance, the introduction of new laws in the domain of early childhood education and care has mirrored the growing hold of employment policies over childcare policies

The Development of Family Services: A Precondition for Promoting Economic Growth and Social Development in Europe

Egalement publié en italien : "Lo sviluppo dei servizi alle famiglie: una condizione per la crescita economica e lo sviluppo sociale in Europa" in Equa, robusta e sostenibile. Una ricetta per la crescita dell'Europa, pp. 333-344.in Claudio De Vincenti (Ed.), Fair, Robust and Sustainable. A Recipe for Europe's Growth. Publication bilingue (anglais, italien) de la "Foundation for European Progressive Studies", Rome.Despite profound changes in living arrangements, families continue to play a crucial role in maintaining social cohesion . Now more than ever, within a context of economic uncertainty and public budgetary constraints, providing families with a wide range of services is essential to ensure they can meet the challenges ahead. To start I identify some future challenges and key drivers of change in the domain of family-service supports. In the second part of the paper, after taking stock of family services in the EU, I place emphasis on some of the best practices in the domain throughout Europe. To conclude I make a good case for adopting a more holistic and integrated approach to family services as a way to meet the emerging needs of Europe's citizens

ENJEUX ENVIRONNEMENTAUX, PROTECTION SOCIALE ET INÉGALITÉS SOCIALES

Dossier coordonné par Floran Augagneur et Jeanne FagnaniNational audiencePrésentation du dossier "ENJEUX ENVIRONNEMENTAUX, PROTECTION SOCIALE ET INÉGALITÉS SOCIALES" édité et coordonné par Floran Augagneur (Conseiller scientifique à la Fondation Nicolas Hulot) et Jeanne Fagnani pour la Revue Française des Affaires Sociales (DREES, Ministère des Affaires sociales, de la santé et des droits des femmes). Dossier composé de huit articles et de 4 points de vue dont trois entretiens avec N. Hulot, l'économiste Juan Martinez Alier et le philosophe Fabrice Flipo

Policy packages for families with children in 11 European countries: Multiple approaches

Using the model family method, we compared the social and fiscal systems in 11 EU member states for providing financial resources to households with children. We then used these comparisons to answer the following questions: After the impact of various benefits and taxes, what is the difference in the net disposable income of a childless couple compared with a family with children where both families have the same income? To what extent are certain systems of transfers utilized as an instrument of horizontal redistribution? To what extent are certain transfers used as a means of vertical redistribution? How do transfers for families with an identical number of children vary according to the families' income levels?Austria is far and away the most generous country when it comes to cash provision to families. Nevertheless, levels of fertility remain low resembling those of Germany. Bringing up the rear at the opposite end of the spectrum is the Netherlands. France, Belgium, Austria, and to a lesser degree, Germany all tend to favour large families with France and Belgium becoming rather less favourable than the other two when it comes to providing assistance to couples and lone parent families with only one child. The Nordic countries, the UK and Ireland are all distinguished by a strong emphasis on vertical redistribution, favouring families with modest revenues. Our results confirm arguments in favor of promoting measures that place greater emphasis on benefits in kind over simple cash benefits

La actividad profesional de las mujeres con hijos en la aglomeración parisina (1975-1982)

L'activité feminine a augmenté, de 1975 a 1982, dans l'agglomeration parisienne: ce phénomene est principalement dû à la croissance du taux d'activité des mères, quel que soit le nombre d'enfants. Ceci s'est traduit, dans l'espace, par la hausse de leur participation a la vie économique dans tous les secteurs de banlieu ou elles sont surrepresentées. Le desserrement des emplois au profit de la banlieu et la creation des Villes Nouvelles ont favorisé leur insertion professionnelle; le développement de l'accession a la propiété des familles a également incité les femmes a travailler. L'élévation de leur niveau d'instruction et la transformation des systtmes de valeurs expliquent aussi la hausse considérable des taux d'activité des m6res de deux enfants ou plus. Toutefois, le lieu de résidence reste un facteur de différenciation des comportements féminins a l'égard du travail, particulitrement dans le cas des mtres de trois enfants ou plus: dans de nombreaux secteurs de banlieu, l'éloignement des emplois et le souséquipement freinent leur insertion professionnelle.The principal research themes related to the use of the entropic concept in regional analysis and planning are identified. For the twenty-year period studied, four five-year subdivisions are proposed, corresponding to the following stages: initial thrust, thematic development, maturity and after-math. Specially noteworthy are the contributions to research made by A. G. Wilson, M. J. Webber and M. Batty in the respective fields of the application of this concept in designing the gravity model, location models and methodology of spatial aggregation. The common denominator of these approaches is the entropy maximization method. This contrasts with the less prominent role which the concept plays as a descriptive index of territorial location in spite of the efforts made in the fields of theory and application by the operational researcher, H. Theil. The article is completed with a wide-ranging bibliography of utility to both those interested in theoretical geography and also researchers in contemporary geographical thought.Se identifican las principales lineas de investigación relacionadas con el uso del concepto de entropia en anilisis y planificación del territorio. Entre las fechas apuntadas en el titulo, se propone una periodización quinquenal correspondiente a desarrollos iniciales, de ramificación tematica, de madurez y epigonales. Se destacan las trayectorias de investigación de A. G. Wilson, M. J. Webber y M. Battv en el dominio de aplicaciones del concepto en la derivación del modelo gravitatorio, que los modelos de localización y de metodologias de regionalización respectivamente. El denominador comúnde esos enfoques es el método de maximización de la entropia. Por el contrario, el uso del concepto como indice descriptiva de distribuciones territoriales es considerado como menos relevante a pesar de los esfuerzos de teorización y aplicación a partir de la obra del econometrista H. Theil. Se completa con una amplia selección bibliográfica que puede ser de utilidad tanto para los interesados en geografia teorética como para los estudiosos del pensamiento geografico contemporaneo.S'identifiquen les principals línies d'investigació relacionades amb l'ús del concepte d'entropia en analisi i planificació del territori. Entre les dates indicades al títol, es proposa una periodització quinquennal corresponent a desenvolupaments primerencs, de brancatge tematic, de maduresa i epigonals. Es destaquen les trajectories de recerca &A. G. Wilson, M. J. Webber i de M. Batty en el domini d'aplicacions del concepte en la derivació del model gravitatori, dels models de localització i de metodologies de racionalització, respectivament. El denominador comú d'aquests enfocaments és el mttode de maximització de l'entropia. En canvi, l'ús del concepte com a index descriptiu de distribucions territorials és considerat menys rellevant malgrat els notables esforços de teorització i aplicació a partir de l'obra de l'econometrista H. Theil. Es completa amb una amplia selecció bibliografica que pot ser d'utilitat tant per als interessats en geografia teorttica com per als estudiosos del pensament geografic contemporani