prompting the government to promise an overhaul of parental leave so it pays better
Source: INSEE
France registered 678,000 births in 2023, down 7% from the year before
President Macron announced plans for 'shorter' but 'better paid' parental leave
which would allow both parents to be with their children for six months
"Following the extension of paternity leave, I really believe in establishing a new child care leave, which will replace the current parental leave. First of all it will be better paid and it will allow both parents to be with their child for six months if they wish. And above all, it will be shorter than the current parental leave which can sometimes go up to three years, and which keeps many women away from the job market but which also creates a lot of anxiety because it is extremely little and poorly paid and therefore sometimes creates difficult situations."
France has for decades been an outlier compared to other European countries
avoiding a collapse in birth rates as seen in Germany, Italy and Spain
