What are French families like ?

The French family in a few figures :

Then, as in other countries, there are three types of families:

The nuclear family: two parents and one or more children, living together under the same roof.

The nuclear family: two parents and one or more children, living together under the same roof.
 

Single-parent family: a parent with one or more children, living under the same roof

Single-parent family: a parent with one or more children, living under the same roof
 

A blended family: one of the parents with one or more children from a first union with another person with whom the parent is in a couple, paired or married. This person may also have children from a first union.

Stepfamily: one of the parents with one or more children from a first union with another person with whom the parent is in a couple, paired or married. This person may also have children from a first union.
 

I'm going to base myself on a study by INSEE, which is the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies, released in January 2014 to tell you about the family landscape in France.

The type of family that is most common in France is the nuclear family: 68% of children live with both parents under the same roof.

Then there is the single-parent family: 21% of children live with one of their parents.

And lastly, there is the blended family: 11% of children live in a reconstituted family.
 

The fertility rate in France is declining every year, and in 2020 it will be 1.84 children per woman.

 

 

What does the word "family" mean to the French? :

For three-quarters of the French, the word "family" often refers to the group of parents and children. This is the family nucleus, which is the most important to them. 

It is this family group that they can rely on. It is in this group that the strongest family ties are found. 

Of course, that doesn't mean that the French don't love their grandparents, uncles and aunts. No, it doesn't. And it's different in every family, of course. But for most French people, the family nucleus consists of parents and children.

 

What unites a French family? :

Being a family in France does not mean that we share the same values. Indeed, we share the same blood, but not necessarily the same opinions and values. The subjects that divide French families the most are (unsurprisingly) politics, religion and money. Again, this is not the same in all French families, nor should we generalize, it is a trend.

On the other hand, what unites French families are their hobbies and interests

Another thing that unites French families is solidarity. It doesn't matter if we don't share the same values, if we have some discord, we don't leave a member of our family in need. There is a lot of mutual aid in French families.

 

What is the role of the father and mother in France? :

So the role of mother and father in France has changed a lot over the years. However, we cannot say that we have found a perfect balance between these two roles. 

The new French father no longer has the role of the head of the family, who works to support his family while his wife looks after the home and has no say in the matter.

The French father can express his feelings and emotions freely, and is sensitive and caring for his children. He is more involved in his children's lives and in some cases, more rarely, he shares household chores equally with his partner.

For their part, women are more active professionally. Most have a professional career. However, they remain torn between work and family life. The home and children remain mostly the responsibility of the woman, who must work both at work and at home. This is referred to as mental load, i.e. the cognitive load due to the responsibility a person has at work plus the responsibility for managing the home. 

Of course, I repeat myself, this is a trend, it is not the same everywhere. We should not generalize.

 

 

Family Vocabulary :

Family relationships :

Un père  Une mère Un enfant unique

  • A father 
  • A mother
  • An only child

 

Un frère Une sœur

  • A brother
  • A sister

 

L'ainé(e) Le(a) cadet(te) Le(a) benjamin(e)

  • The elder
  • The cadet(s)
  • The youngest child

 

Des jumeaux Des jumelles

  • Twins

 

La belle-mère Le beau-père La demi-sœur Le demi-frère

  • The mother-in-law
  • The father-in-law
  • The half-sister
  • The half-brother

 

Le grand-père (Pépé, Papi) La grand-mère (Mémé, Mamie) Le petit-fils La petite-fille

  • The grandfather (Grandpa, Papi)
  • The grandmother (Grandma, Granny)
  • The grandson
  • The granddaughter

 

L'arrière-grand-père L'arrière-grand-mère L'arrière-petit-fils L'arrière-petite-fille

  • The great-grandfather
  • The great-grandmother
  • The great-grandson
  • The great-granddaughter

 

La tante L'oncle Le cousin La cousine Le neveu La nièce

  • The aunt
  • The uncle
  • The cousin
  • The cousin
  • The nephew
  • The niece

 

Le parrain La marraine Le filleul La filleule

  • The godfather
  • The godmother
  • The godson
  • The goddaughter

 

Les beaux-parents Le beau-père La belle-mère La belle-fille Le beau-fils / le gendre

  • Parents-In-laws
  • The father-in-law
  • The mother-in-law
  • The daughter-in-law
  • The son-in-law 

 

Now it's your turn to tell me what families are like in your country, write it down as a comment!

See you soon for new adventures, in French of course! 🇫🇷