The gap between births and deaths, known to demographers as “the natural increase,” has not been this low since the 1950s, census data gathered by the INSEE statistics office reveals.
France’s birth rate remained reasonably stable during the global financial crisis which began in 2008. It has declined since 2010, a year in which the highest number of births were recorded since the 1970s.
Whilst the country still has the highest birth rate in the European Union, overtaking Spain and Italy at birth rates of only 1.34 children per woman, according to European statistics bureau Eurostat, this downward trend looks set to continue. Although the French government has reduced family benefits, it still has a long history of encouraging population growth by providing incentives and necessary infrastructure to support working mothers.
Parents have access to public, affordable, high-quality childcare facilities which accommodate parents who work long hours. They can also obtain generous cash bonuses and tax breaks which entitle a third child to railway concessions.
Kids playing at a Child Care Centre Source: AAP
Finally, a couple may even be awarded a medal if they have four or more children. The award, introduced in the 1940s, was originally designed to boost the nation’s population after the ravages of World War II.
Why then are French women having fewer babies? The most likely reason is that today, many couples decide to start a family later on in life, bringing the country into line with the prevailing trend in Europe and most developed nations.
The prolongation of tertiary studies, combined with financial insecurity, frequently influences a couple’s decision to delay having children. INSEE data indicates that the number of French women under 40 is dwindling and that those aged between 25-29 are having fewer children.
The phenomenon of older motherhood has been on the rise in France since 2000, and now the average age of first-time mothers in France is 30.6. Once again France is following Europe’s lead, as a Eurostat report published this year records that in 2016, across Europe, the average age of women having their first child was 29.
In the case of France, many people look to immigration to fill the gap. However, although migrant women initially have a higher fertility rate compared to those in their home country, within one generation, immigrant families tend to fall into step with the population patterns of that country.
It seems that hope rests with older mothers to make up for France’s population shortfall.
Opinion is divided as to why this is unlikely. Some experts argue that if women have fewer children before they turn 30, they are likely to have fewer children after that age.
Others, such as Gérard-François Dumont, demography professor at the Sorbonne University in Paris, point to the French government’s move away from investing in childcare facilities and aid to families as directly impacting upon the country’s birth rate. Still others insist that it is primarily a matter of personal choice, and of changes in mentality.
Photo of Women Walking Down the Street Pille Kirsi @Pexel Source: Pille Kirsi @Pexel
Recent statistics suggest that France’s population may overtake that of Germany’s in the future despite the drop in the nation’s birth rate. As things stand, France remains, along with Ireland, one of the EU’s most fertile countries, however if the current pattern continues, this position may no longer be assured.
