|
| This page is one
of the annex pages of www.understandfrance.org, the foremost
site on Franco-American intercultural differences. It contains
documents, facts and figures illustrating the content of some
of its pages. |
Facts
& figures |
This page contains
Facts and Figures about France and the French. Some are significant,
other less so....
|
 (credit) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Miscellaneous facts and
figures |
|
Religion.... |
|
Urban and
social problems : in
the midst of violent urban riots, a newspaper (Le Parisien,
Nov.3,2005) listed " Ten Reasons For Hope ", identifying
successful actions to reduce social tensions in the poorest areas.
Among them :
- " Positive examples "
: there are more and more examples of individual successes in
Arab and Black communities : singers and sportsmen but also businessmen
and professionals
- " Older Brothers "
are people with a job (civil servants, social workers, etc..)
who devote part of their time to helping younger members of their
community
- " Houses " : dramatic
changes in the urban environment : every year, thousands (around
10,000) of ugly apartment buildings are destroyed and replaced
by inexpensive houses for lower middle class
- "Internships " are
offered to the best students in high schools located in sensitive
areas so they can benefit from better conditions of life and
work
- " Access to Elite Schools
" : the most prestigious schools ("grandes
Ecoles) have special programs to give access to bright students
who would not consider applying due to lack of information (Institut
d'Etudes Politiques de Paris : 10 to 20 every year, ESSEC Business
School : patronage by students) ; two of the few French affirmative
action programs
- " Zones Franches "
: around 85 tax-free industrial areas have been created, attracting
jobs in the most depressed urban districts
- Other reasons include : "
Feminine Actions ", " Inter-religion Actions "
(Muslim-Jewish or Christian-Muslim initiatives), " Vacations
" (for the poorest children) and " Culture "
Glossary :
ZEP (Zone d'Education Prioritaire)
: areas with a high proportion of poor minorities of immigrants
in schools
ZUS (Zone Urbaine Sensible)
: areas with particulalrly difficult urban problesm (751 ZUS
in France with 5 million inhabitants)
Pôle Emploi (formerly ANPE) : the public agency in charge of the policy for the
un-employed (20 % of people living in a ZUS are un-employed)
About Islam in France ...
-
According to a survey among professionals and French managers, 65% have observed incidents based on religion in the workplace (the number was 50% a year before) ; the first category of incidents, the larger, relates to individual behavior (the veil 21%, paid leave for religious ceremonies 18%, changes in work hours for religious reasons 14%, prayers during break times 8%); the second category relates to facts that are in contradiction with the organization of the firm or with legal obligations (ostracizing someone for his/her religion 7%, proselytism 6%, refusal to do certain tasks 6%, to work under a female manager 5%, praying during work time 5%, refusal to work with a female colleague 4% or a male colleague 3%) (Randstad & OFRE/Observatoire sur le Fait Religieux en Entreprise study Sept.2016)
-
According to a recent survey among French Muslims, 46% can be considered fully integrated in the French society, 25% are more religious (but not favorable to niqab) and a surprisingly high 28% think that "charia must prevail on the laws of Republic" ; among French Muslims,40% believe that employers must adjust to the religious obligations of their employees, 14% of women refuse to be treated by a male doctor, etc. (Survey IFOP Sept.2016 for Institut Montaigne)
-
More to come ....
|
|
- About "laïcité"
(secularism), the opinion of the French is reflected in these
answers (CSA poll, Feb.2005)
- Is the principle of "laïcité"
threatened in France ?
- Yes, quite : 25%
- Yes, rather : 33%
- Not really : 21%
- Not at all : 19%
- For you, what is "laïcité"
?
- To ensure all religious are
treated equally : 32%
- To separate religion and politics
: 28%
- To ensure freedom of thought
: 28%
- To diminish the influence of
religions : 9%
- What do you think of the following
statements :
|
It would be... |
Rather good |
Rather bad |
Don't know |
| All visible religious signs should
be forbidden to all employees of public administrations |
62% |
34% |
4% |
| Taxpayer money should contribute
to building churches, mosques, synagogs, temples,... |
39% |
57% |
4% |
| People belonging to non-christian
religions should be entitled to have different holidays |
30% |
64% |
6% |
More about religion.
- The image of Islam in France and in Germany in 2016
(Source : IFOP/Figaro 29/4/2016)
| |
France |
Germany |
| a. The presence(1) of a Muslim community is a threat .. |
47% (+5) |
43% (+3) |
| .... or a cultural enrichment |
19% (-3) |
|
| b. Opposed to the building of new mosques (2)... |
52%(+13) |
49%(-1) |
| .... or favourable |
13% (-7) |
|
| c. Opposed to the Islamic veil in the streets ... |
63%(+4) |
|
| ..... or favourable |
9%(=) |
|
| d. The influence and the visibility of Islam are too important ... |
63%(+8) |
48%(-1) |
| ... or not enough |
5%(+1) |
|
| e. The persons of Muslim origin are considered not well integrated in the society ... |
68%(=) |
71%(-4) |
| .... or well integrated |
32%(=) |
|
(1) : between 4 and 5 million in France (2) : 2,500 in France
Among the main reasons which explain the poor integration of people of Muslim origin in the society :
| Their own refusal to be integrated |
67%(+6) |
60%(-7) |
| Too much cultural differences |
45%(+5) |
48%(+14) |
| The fact that they live in the same neighborhoods and go to the same schools |
35%(-2) |
33%(+1) |
| The economic crisis and the lack of labor opportunities |
19%(-1) |
6%(-4) |
| The racism and the close-mindedness of the nationals |
14%(-4) |
14%(-1) |
| Not enough money and programs from the Government |
3%(+1) |
7%(+2) |
|
| Various aspects of the
French society |
|
|
- The French passion for equality is illustrated by the following numbers
(inequality is measured by the ratio
of income after tax of the 10% richest to the 10% poorest or by the Gini Index : 0= perfect equality) :
| |
10% richest |
Gini Index |
| |
1980 |
2000 |
2008 |
1985/2008 |
|
USA |
4,7 |
5,5 |
0,38 |
+0,5% |
|
Israel |
4,0 |
5,0 |
|
|
|
Spain |
4,4 |
4,8 |
0,31 |
-0,5% |
Italy |
|
|
0,34 |
+0,4% |
Japan |
|
|
0,33 |
+0,4% |
Canada |
|
|
0,32 |
+0,4% |
|
U.K. |
3,5 |
4,6 |
0,34 |
+0,8% |
|
Taiwan |
3,2 |
3,8 |
|
|
|
France |
3,4 |
3,5 |
0,29 |
-0,1% |
|
Germany |
2,9 |
3,3 |
0,30 |
+0,7% |
|
Sweden |
2,4 |
2,9 |
0,26 |
+1,1% |
(Source : Capital Janvier 2012 & Le Monde 3/5/2006)
- Conclusion :
- some countries are "more
unequal" (USA) than others (Sweden)
- inequality has progressed everywhere
over the past 25 years
- except in France (according
to Marseille, the ratio
was 4,8 in 1970) and Spain
- Examples of the French passion for the State :
- In October 2008, in a popular
talk show on TV, someone says "Salaries are too low in France"
; the journalist replies : "There is nothing I can do about
it : I am not the Minister of Finance". Translation : in
France, salaries are considered the responsibility of the government.
- more to come
- Contraceptive methods
| % (men + women) |
France |
USA |
Japan |
China |
| No contraception |
23.6 |
23.6 |
45.7 |
15.4 |
| Sterilization |
4.6 |
33.1(°) |
1.9 |
33.2 |
| Pill |
40.6 |
16.3 |
1 |
1.2 |
| IUD |
18.9 |
5.2 |
0.9 |
40.6 |
| Condom |
7.9 |
6 |
40.7 |
8.5 |
| Traditional methods |
2.3 |
11.8 |
16.8 |
0.6 |
| Others |
2.1 |
4 |
8.6 |
0.5 |
| Total |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
(°) : this number is very surprising...
(Source : UNO 2013 / Le Figaro 26/9/2015)
|
|
Terrorist attacks in France(1) since 2012 (claimed by an Islamic organization (2))
| Date /place (6) |
Nature (5) |
Killed (3) |
March 11, 2012 Toulouse |
A lone murderter killed 3 soldiers and later a teacher and 3 children in a Jewish school |
7 |
| May 24, 2014 Bruxelles |
A lone murderer kills an employee and 3 visitors of the Jewish museum |
4 |
| Jan.7, 2015 Paris |
Two murderers attack the magazine Charlie Hebdo, shoot 10 and 2 police officers |
12 |
| Jan.9, 2015 Paris |
A lone murderer kills a police officer then attacks a Jewish delicatessen and takes staff and customers hostages |
5 |
| Apr.19, 2015 Paris |
On his way to attack a church, a lone murderer kills a woman to steal her car |
1 |
| June 26, 2015 Grenoble |
An industrialist is beheaded by one of his employees who also wounds two colleagues |
1 |
| Aug.21, 2015 |
A lone murderer is neutralized by 4 travelers (including 3 Americans) aboard the Amsterdam Paris train while he was trying to shoot |
0 (4) |
| Nov.13, 2015 Paris |
A group of 8 murderers simultaneously attacks a concert hall, the national stadium and several cafés |
132 |
| June.13, 2018 Paris |
A married couple of two police officers is stabbed in the presence of their children |
2 |
| Jul.14, 2016 Nice |
Using a 19-ton truck, a lone murderer drives full-speed through the crowd at the Bastille Day parade |
86 |
| Jul.26, 2016 Rouen |
Two murderers attack the early mass, cut the throat of the priest and stab the parishionners |
1 |
| Apr.20, 2017 Paris |
A lone murderer shoots at a police car on the Champs Elysées |
1 |
| Oct.1, Marseille |
A lone murderer stabs two young women in front of the train station |
2 |
| March 23, 2018 Montpellier |
A lone murderer take hostages in a supermarket and kills 4, including a Colonel who had volonteered to become hostage |
4 |
| May 12, 2015 Paris |
A lone murderer stabs passers-by |
1 |
| Dec.11, 2018 Strasbourg |
A lone murderer stabs passers-by during the Christmas Market |
5 |
| Oct.3, 2019 Paris |
A police officer, converted to Islam, stabs 4 colleagues in the Préfecture de Police |
4 |
| Apr.4, 2020 Lyon |
A lone murderer stabs passers-by |
1 |
| Oct.16, 2020 Paris |
A lone murderer kills and beheads a high-school teacher who had exhibited a caricature of Mohamet in a course on freedom of expression |
1 |
| Oct.29, 2020 Nice |
A lone murderer attacks a church and stabs the beadle and two parishionners |
3 |
| |
TOTAL |
273 |
(1) + one in Belgium
(2) and considered as Islamic Terrorism by the Parquet National Anto-terroriste (National Prosecutor)
(3) the number of wounded, much higher, is not recorded here
(4) but the toll could have been very high
(5) all murderers (except one Pakistanese, one Chechen and one Malian) were Maghrebians (often bi-national French)
(6) or the nearest big town
Retirement : a comparison between private and public
sectors (2006) (Source : Figaro Magazine June 3, 2006)
| |
Private sector |
Civil servants |
State-owned utilities(*), called
"régimes spéciaux" |
| Number of years
of work |
42 |
40 |
37,5 |
| Average age
of retirement |
61 y. 9mo. |
57 y. 9mo. |
54 to 55 y. |
| Employee's
withdrawal on salary |
10,35% |
7,85% |
<7,85% |
| Base for valuation
of pension |
25 best years |
6 last months |
between last
and 6 last months |
| Index for pension |
prices |
prices |
salaries |
| Reduction per
year for early retirement |
10% (2005) |
3% (2012) |
none |
| Right to have
a job when retired |
limited |
no limit |
no limit |
| Average pension
(Euros) |
1,465 |
1,832 |
1,530 / 2,119 |
(*) Electricity (EDF), rail transport
(SNCF), mass transit (RATP) (for certain categories of the latter,
the system is even more advantageous)
Back to "working
in France"
|
| To related pages : more facts
& figures, more facts, etc... |
|
To table of contents
To top
of the page
Back to home
page
|
Harriet Welty
Rochefort writes articles and books about France and the French.
Order her books:
- "French Toast, An American in Paris
Celebrates The Maddening Mysteries of the French", St.Martin's Press,
New York, 1999
- "French Fried, The Culinary Capers
of An American in Paris", St.Martin's Press, New York, 2001
More on Harriet's books (excerpts, upcoming
events, testimonials, etc..)
|
| To
email
me |
If you like
this site, please bookmark it or create a link! |
|