French Family Values
Krugman compares living to work with working to live:
It's true that France's G.D.P. per person is well below that of the United States. But that's because French workers spend more time with their families.O.K., I'm oversimplifying a bit. There are several reasons why the French put in fewer hours of work per capita than we do. One is that some of the French would like to work, but can't: France's unemployment rate, which tends to run about four percentage points higher than the U.S. rate, is a real problem. Another is that many French citizens retire early. But the main story is that full-time French workers work shorter weeks and take more vacations than full-time American workers.
The point is that to the extent that the French have less income than we do, it's mainly a matter of choice. And to see the consequences of that choice, let's ask how the situation of a typical middle-class family in France compares with that of its American counterpart.
The French family, without question, has lower disposable income. This translates into lower personal consumption: a smaller car, a smaller house, less eating out.
But there are compensations for this lower level of consumption. Because French schools are good across the country, the French family doesn't have to worry as much about getting its children into a good school district. Nor does the French family, with guaranteed access to excellent health care, have to worry about losing health insurance or being driven into bankruptcy by medical bills.
Perhaps even more important, however, the members of that French family are compensated for their lower income with much more time together. Fully employed French workers average about seven weeks of paid vacation a year. In America, that figure is less than four.
So which society has made the better choice?
I do have to say, I'm a capitalist, and a libertarian, mainly, and not in favor of the insane amount of regulation and welfare state-ism they have in France. An American friend who lives here used to brag that he got free health care. Well, true, he doesn't have to shell out at the doctor's office. But, he does pay, I believe 65% of his income in taxes. Hmmm, maybe that's not free health care, but exceptionally pricey health care.
Getting back to the topic of the article, while I have a job I love, which consumes a lot of my time, I do take care to take time to live and have balance, best I can. But, for somebody whose job is just a job -- a way to eat and feed the kids -- maybe slaving away all year with only a week or two for vacation is a living, but not much of a way to live.
I have the view that the same things are available to any American - who wishes to ignore the babble of advertising men who insist that you desperately need something you didn't know existed ten minutes ago.
Radwaste at July 31, 2005 8:29 AM
When you consider the insane expansion of the storage - facility businesses, you wonder if our consumerist society has reached the brink. Those places used to be primarily for businesses who were expanding too rapidly for their current locations, but now have become the repository of American's oversupply of stuff.
Wish Krugman had discussed France's poor growth rate over the past decade, and if this is also the result of that trade - off.
Dmac at July 31, 2005 8:39 AM
I think Radwaste is right on. When the light of scrutiny is shined honestly and plainly, we all could do without so much that we consider "necessary." My primary form of entertainment is reading and I live less than a 30 second walk to the brand new Studio City library. Yet, I have never set foot inside. Instead I could tell you the address, zip-code, menu, hours, and filing system of every Borders, Barnes & Noble, and Brentano's in a 10 mile radius. My mid-year resolutions: get my first public library card since Jr. High, and kill my cable TV (after the World Series, of course).
Snakeman99 at July 31, 2005 6:11 PM
"Choice" isn't when it is the decision of government officials.
There are over 350,000 registered French people in London. As it is not compulsory to register with the French consulate the true figure could be double that (out of a total French population of about 60 million). Also the French people here are disproportionately of working age, and also take starter jobs (badly paid restaurant, bar, hotel jobs).
They typically work a third more hours a week than in France, pay double the housing costs, and have a disposible income lower than if they stayed at home.
So the choice is to stay and enjoy having the state restrict your chances of getting work, and effectively destroy your chances of making a career in an international firm (think about a law firm with offices in Paris, London and New York!). Or leave.
Antoine Clarke at August 2, 2005 1:03 AM
French Families like holidays...
Hello,
I intended to say in connection with the article of "Paul Krugman" that French spent more time with their family, because they work less, they have more holidays... it’s true! it is exact that certain can have 9 weeks of holidays, in my preceding job (BNP paribas), I had 9,5 weeks equivalent of holidays!! now I work in a software firm and I have 5 weeks of holidays, when my small daughter was born, 5 months ago I had 2 week paid by the social security. In short, French work not much, but that depends also the context and the moments; the executives can be harshly invested and worked 10h per days in intense work period; it sometimes happened to work the week-end and the evening until 11pm... thus one should not take all that in term of statistics; ... the more so as, if you look at the CAC40 market since the beginning of year... the Parisian place is the best of world market! far in front of the others... (18% since january 2005) Would the American companies like microsoft and motorala uses of many engineer in France then why it make this if it isn’t so competitive?
e-lorenzo at August 5, 2005 7:19 AM
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