France'S Pro-Natalist Policy

France has adopted a policy they call "Pro Natalist", meaning that it is "for births". This means that, due to the countries socio-economic situation, they need an increase in the birth rate. One of the reasons this might be necessary is because there aren't enough people in the independent age to support those of the dependent age. It could also be because the country requires a stronger and more abundant workforce to develop more effectively. Countries can have low birth rates or simply few youth for many reasons.

France's was that it had lost many young men in the dreadful First World War, and so it needed replacement, precisely for its workforce.

The way France's government went about to put this policy into action was through special arrangements made for the families with many kids, usually more than three. Many modern day-care centres were established around the country along with discounts on public transportation for families with more than three children and an increase in job security.

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Yet this was to no avail because, until today, France's fertility rate has declined. To illustrate how this policy has been unsuccessful some data will be necessary: in 1996, France's population was 58.4 million.

It is projected that in 2010 it will be 61.7 million, not even a 4% increase over 1996 and in 2025 it is projected to be 63.6, not even a 3% increase over 2010! When France realised that it wasn't working, it imposed a strong immigration policy, encouraging more immigrants to enter the country, and causing problems for the French society, as the majority of the immigrants came from North Africa, causing increases in crime rates around the country.

In conclusion, France has tried to impose a policy that seemed to be well founded, but lacked the enforcement of it by the authorities. It has not reached its 100 million population target for the 21st century and its fertility rate has fallen as opposed to risen. The new immigration law previously referred to is a much better alternative, although it seems that it has increased crime rates in the country as France didn't think of educating the immigrants, who they should have known would come mainly from Africa, where literacy isn't at an acceptable level.