To think France's plan to write to every 29 year old reminding them to breed is patronising nonsense??

Even if the requirement was only blood tests that is still disgusting.

I think the words were quite clear. My ex is a native French speaker. I also showed the documents to my future SIL (French, lived in the same area) and she confirmed it for me and was a bit shocked.

I know most French women have an annual gynae check up anyway, but to have to provide proof of this as part of the marriage dossier was utterly bizarre to me.

Paid leave is 16 weeks, and up to 3 of those weeks must be taken antenatally, so you’d get 13 weeks post natal leave if you wanted. If your baby was late, that is added on.

She was and I’m sure politicians have remembered that.

I was just listening to the radio which covered Reeves response to high graduate payments by referring to the NHS needing it. I’m fine to discuss this incredibly onerous impact on the young, people who least benefit from the NHS. And just what to do generally.

As for emojis etc in your posts I’m not even disagreeing with the subsequent points you’ve made. The demographics are changing and that is difficult. Planning for that will be needed.

Nonsense! The only requirement was to have blood tests. Maybe you mis mistranslated the documents!

@08p what are breastfeeding rates like in France? Or do you get extra breastfeeding breaks during the working day (officially I know you do in Italy, I don't know how it actually works in practise)

Maternity pay in the UK may rubbish but I appreciated that the DC could go a whole day without milk by the time I went back to work.

ETA just saw your emoji post which was still combative. I have no issue with preparing for a changing demographic

You don’t think your posts to me were combative?! Are you ever going to explain why a smaller but older population is a good thing & persuade me? I’m ready to listen 🙄

So more older people have care in the home vs going into a care home. This is expensive & care in the home doesn’t include house value currently. I would put a charge on the home so some of the care costs are recovered after death as it’s not sustainable. Maybe not a flat rate cost but a percentage so it allows for differing house values.

But Teresa May tried to do the above & was ousted for it.

Which comes back to my point that the electorate needs to wake up to the issues & acknowledge them otherwise we are stuck in a doom loop.

Well I agree with this so it was worth a post defining it. But I’m not sure what you mean on house value and care in the home, can you say more?

ETA just saw your emoji post which was still combative. I have no issue with preparing for a changing demographic.

Governments would be better off spending their time figuring out how to make things work with an ageing population and fewer children being born, because that trend isn't going away

Exactly! but i think a lot of the electorate don’t want to hear it.

I live in France and will soon go on maternity leave and it's absolutely shocking to me that I only get 10 weeks paid leave post birth. This is from the government, and cannot be extended. I also can't take any unpaid leave after 10 weeks.

The creche system is great here, the less money you earn, the less you pay for childcare. But only 10 weeks of maternity leave after the birth is a disgrace.

I don’t understand what you are asking, it’s such a bizarre style of discussion. What is it you think I’m trying to persuade you to think? 😆

You said a shrinking but older population is a good thing so you persuade me why that’s a good thing & how that works in our economic model?

But the UK doesn’t have a high birth rate?! What do you think it should be?

Birth rates won’t reverse, it’s never happened in any country once below replacement rates so we need to acknowledge the changing demographics and plan for some of the economic impact. Now I can’t tell you what the true fallout will be as it’s unprecedented but we should be changing some things imo.

I prefer the French healthcare system rather than the NHS & I would pause the triple lock. Care in the home would also include house value rather than just care out of the home. If workers need to be working until 70 then employers need to change & allow for this etc.

"Patronising nonsense" is an understatement. This is my first time readinf about this and I'm in a WTAF mode right now?! It's so bizarre, it's hilarious.

People who don't want children at all are hardly going to be swayed by an idiotic government letter.

People who do want them, and perhaps would like to have a larger family but can't see a way to afford it, are going to be swayed by concrete policies, not letters.

Governments would be better off spending their time figuring out how to make things work with an ageing population and fewer children being born, because that trend isn't going away.

Just define and sell in what you want. I’m ready to listen. If you have the answer then you could persuade me.

What do you want then? can you define clearly what it is you’re asking to happen?

What a bizarre response 😆

@EasternStandard can why do you think a smaller but older population is a good thing?

What do you want then? Can you define clearly what it is you’re asking to happen

Im not sure what people don’t understand. Smaller populations are a good thing but smaller ageing ones not so much. Here in the UK for example the state pension & NHS model doesn’t work with the changing demographics & then you have the issue that a largely older base will vote for policies that benefit them so any reform becomes impossible.

@Designless so why will it “save us” from the impact of an ageing population?

Good. Fine for the population to decrease.