So....would you do this???

lovethesea

lovethesea

Active Member
I saw this today on the internet. I personally would not. Does anyone else think this is weird? I know its France and all, but still......very strange.[

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France Offers Incentives to Parents Thu Sep 22, 8:33 AM ET

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- France announced financial incentives Thursday for parents to have a third child, hoping to boost its fertility rate by helping people to better juggle the demands of work and family life.
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A new measure will award $916 a month to parents who take one year's unpaid leave from work after the birth of a third child, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin announced at the close of a national conference on families.
It will take effect in July 2006. De Villepin said he believed the measure will appeal to "numerous parents" and allow for a "better reconciliation of professional and family rhythms."
"We must do more to allow French families to have as many children as they want," the prime minister said.
France's fertility rate, at an average of 1.9 children per woman, is the second highest in Europe after Ireland's, around 2. But it is still below the 2.07 level needed to prevent population decline.
The European Union average is around 1.5, dropping to less than 1.3 in some countries, including Greece, Spain, Italy and the new EU member nations in Eastern Europe where fertility rates dropped precipitously after the collapse of communism. Some experts fear that the decline in fertility rates across the continent could have far-reaching economic and social consequences.
 
mimzy

mimzy

Active Member
...maybe they could adopt all the female babies left under trees in China b/c their paretns were dissapointed that they had a girl when the government only ALLOWS them to have one child......
 
birdy

birdy

Active Member
Well I think you have to understand how maternity leave works in almost all European Countries and Canada, Most all of them offer at least a year of paid maternity leave, I think it is around 80%, this is funded partially by the government. So for them to add a little to the money to encourage population growth is not as radical as it may sound.
The US is pretty much the only Modern Country that has almost no paid maternity leave, yeah you can take 12wks off and have your job back, but for most people that is unpaid leave. This country and its employers needs to support mothers more IMO. Any mom can tell you that 6-12wks with a newborn is not nearly enough time.
 
darth tang

darth tang

Active Member
Faulty logic. Enticing people by paying them to have another child is detrimental to the future of your countries children. If the people don't want another child in the first place is it really condusive for society to pay them to have one?
 
lovethesea

lovethesea

Active Member
Originally Posted by Birdy
Well I think you have to understand how maternity leave works in almost all European Countries and Canada, Most all of them offer at least a year of paid maternity leave, I think it is around 80%, this is funded partially by the government. So for them to add a little to the money to encourage population growth is not as radical as it may sound.
The US is pretty much the only Modern Country that has almost no paid maternity leave, yeah you can take 12wks off and have your job back, but for most people that is unpaid leave. This country and its employers needs to support mothers more IMO. Any mom can tell you that 6-12wks with a newborn is not nearly enough time.

A lot of companies in the US have paid maternity leave. The kicker with our Family leave act in the US is that you are not guarenteed the job you had when you get back. (most companies will though, but tech. don't have to)
6-12 weeks is not nearly enough, espcially if you had complications/c-section and no outside help (me, me, and me), then top it off with a colicy baby. If I had the money, I would have hired some help, because my husband and I were exhausted. Money would be nice, but not the driving force into adding to my already happy/healthy family. As most of us know, children are a lifetime of responisbility. This is kind of the way I feel about the Catholic faith placing a "no birth control" upon their followers. They will not be there to help raise those children. (no religious arguements PLEASE, I have my own children in Cath. schools). France will not be there financing the child after the year of payment.
And your right Birdy....companies don't do enough to support Mothers OR Fathers IMO. I know there are folks that will want to take advantage. But I used to work for a company that would not accept you calling in to work if your child was sick. You had to basically lie and say you were.
 
snailheave

snailheave

Active Member
Originally Posted by Mimzy
Alan, darling.... you are one weird bird :thinking:
i am not a bird. but there's a bird posting after me. and you got the weird part right.
 
birdy

birdy

Active Member
I guess I don't look at it as France is trying to bribe parents into having more children, just making it more possible in a double income family.
I worked for an employer that had no maternity leave, I had only the FMLA, I had twins and starting having complications at 20wks. Basically I had to quit my job, and my husband and I had to somehow scrape by until my twins were born by c-section, I also very little help (some family). We had no finacial assistance from anyone and had to Cobra my insurance so that I didn't have to pay the $30,000 in medical bills that the kids cost.
I guess I don't see the harm in giving parents some financial assistance so that the mom can stay home with the baby for the first year.
Now if they are giving that money to Parents where the mother is already a SAHM (stay at home mom) then that seems a bit weird. But if it is so the mother can stay home with the baby for a year then go back to work, I guess I would understand it more.
 
darth tang

darth tang

Active Member
It is a good idea on paper. I agree. But I can foresee parents doing this just to get money and not really wanting children in the first place. We have a few cases of this in the States already just so people can get a larger child support check or welfare check. Not the norm by far, but it just adds to ways people can abuse a system. In the end the kids lose.
 
lovethesea

lovethesea

Active Member
I understand they are trying to help the double income family. But only for that first year.
The next child is going to cost more money to the family every year thereafter. Plus the added strain of 2 working parents, more childcare worries, medical, food, clothing etc.
I wish we knew what the general reaction has been so far.
 
reefraff

reefraff

Active Member
Utter stupidity is what I call it. They are inticing families to have a THIRD child to boost their population. I guess they need to make up for the 15000 people who died in France's heat wave last year. Why not offer incentives to adopt an unwanted child from another country? There are planty of places where overpopulation is a problem. But hey, you know those Europeans, they are so superior to us selfish Americans.
 
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