[News Terms] The Secret Behind France's Rising Birth Rate: 'Pax'

Increase in Birth Rate After Introduction of France's Registered Cohabitation System in 1999
Social Security Benefits Granted Upon Registration, Only Registration Needed When Separating

'PACS' stands for Pacte Civil de Solidarite, meaning a civil solidarity pact or a joint living agreement.

It is a registered cohabitation system in France, introduced in 1999 by President Jacques Chirac. This system allows couples, whether romantic partners or cohabitants, to live together and raise children without discrimination, while receiving legal protection.

Couples wishing to enter into a PACS, regardless of being opposite-sex or same-sex, can register their PACS contract at the city hall, thereby acquiring legal rights and obligations as partners. During the PACS period, cohabiting couples receive benefits equivalent to marriage, including income tax and debt advantages (joint income declaration and tax reduction benefits), social security benefits (including health insurance and unemployment benefits extended to partners), and vacation rights.

Gabriel Attal, France's youngest Prime Minister and Minister of Education (right), arrived at the Matignon Hotel in Paris on the 9th (local time) for the farewell ceremony, where he was welcomed by outgoing Prime Minister ?lisabeth Borne. At 34 years old, the newly appointed Attal is France's first openly gay Prime Minister.
[Photo by AFP/ Yonhap News]

When a child is born to a cohabiting couple, the male partner does not automatically acquire parental authority and custody; these rights are established only after a separate paternity confirmation process. However, after one year of establishing parental authority, joint custody can be obtained, and the parents can decide whose surname the child will take.

Ending a PACS is also straightforward. If one partner wishes to terminate the contract and submits the necessary documents to the city hall, the relationship naturally ends. Since each partner manages their own property, there is no division of assets, the status of being single is maintained in personal registries, and no legal records remain.

The initial purpose of introducing PACS in France was to recognize same-sex couples officially. However, even after the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2013, PACS remains in place. Currently, 90% of PACS contracts are between opposite-sex couples.

Young couples sometimes choose PACS as a preliminary step before formal marriage. While PACS is relatively more flexible than traditional marriage, leading to criticisms that it may weaken the bond between partners, there are also many advocates who argue that deciding to live together through PACS as a preparatory stage aligns better with contemporary values than marrying and then quickly divorcing due to incompatibility.

PACS is also credited with playing a decisive role in increasing France's birth rate. According to the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), France's total fertility rate rose from 1.74 in 1992 to 1.80 in 2022, ranking first among European Union (EU) member states.

Wedding scene. [Photo by Pixabay]

The non-marital birth rate is also noteworthy. Since the implementation of PACS, France's non-marital birth rate has gradually increased from 41.7% in 1998 to 56.7% in 2012, and 62.2% in 2020. French media have reported that 60% of French children are born while their parents are in a PACS relationship.

According to INSEE data, a record 209,827 couples applied for PACS in 2022 alone. In the same year, 241,710 couples entered into traditional marriage, a figure close to that of PACS. In 2020, when movement restrictions were imposed across France due to COVID-19, PACS applications (around 170,000) surpassed marriages (around 150,000) by 20,000 for the first time.

In South Korea, discussions are also underway regarding legal protections for various family forms, including cohabiting couples. In April last year, Representative Yong Hye-in of the Basic Income Party proposed the "Act on Domestic Partnership Relationships (Domestic Partnership Act)." The bill defines a "domestic partnership relationship" as a relationship where two adults with Korean nationality or permanent residency mutually agree to share daily life, household duties, care, and support. The core of the bill is to expand the concept of "family" beyond the traditional blood or marriage-based ties to include "loose solidarity." This marks the opening of a public discourse on the matter in South Korea as well.