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Population and society pointillés

In spite of the crisis, France is experiencing its biggest baby boom in 35 years: A European exception.

Nevermind the recession and the vagaries of unemployment! Despite fears for the future, the French are experiencing the joys of parenthood. Although they are said to be pessimistic, they go on having children.

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Introduction


French society shares a number of features with other Western societies: changes in family life and lifestyles, greater mobility, including urban sprawl, upheavals in labour markets, types of occupation and salary structure, rising living standard.

In addition, the country enjoys a healthy demographical situation. In other cases, France differs somewhat negatively: compared with other Europeans, the French envisage the future rather pessimistically; they are less sure of the relevance and long-term survival of their social “model”. Nevertheless, 90% of them say that they are happy, and more than three-quarters that they are in good health.

How can one explain the apparent contradiction between the view the French have of themselves and recent social developments?

Source : France 2008, La Documentation française

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