Family Life
A French child eating lunch
Courtesy of Allison Shelley at Education Week Newspaper


In France, family togetherness is a major priority. Like many other industrialized countries, the French have difficulty finding time to spend with their families because both parents must work to pay for expenses. The French cherish leisure time and usually spend weekends and holidays with their families. It is customary for family members get together to share a meal on Sundays.

Today, more and more common-law relationships are becoming more typical. The government recognizes these common-law couples and entitles them to the same benefits as married partners. Most families are small, with only one or two children. One out of three babies are born out of wedlock.

In comparison to other countries, French parents interact more with their children. In French families, the fathers play more with their children and the mothers tend to take on the role of the primary care taker in the family.

Three quarters of the French population lives in cities. In small cities, people own their houses or apartments, but in larger cities most people rent apartments. The suburbs have many high-rise apartment complexes with reduced rates for low-income families to rent. Many families also own second homes in rural areas. They grow gardens there, because in the city, houses are too close together. The families visit these homes mostly on the weekends and holidays.


References:

"France-Family Life." retrieved November 18, 2002.
("http://cwr.utoronto.ca/cultural/english/france/family.html" )

"French Life." retrieved November 15, 2002.
("http://www.coe.iup.edu/ist/frlife.htm")

The purpose of this site is to inform web users on the social status of children in France. This site was designed by Jill Ulicny, Kacie Hovell, and Clare Harpham as part of a collaborative web project for the first year writing seminar Children and Society at Tulane University taught by Professor April Brayfield.
Updated December 13, 2002