№ 636, September 2025

Paris 100 years ago: more people than today—and mostly born elsewhere
Sandra Bree, l'equipe de Popp (The POPP team)
The population of Paris reached its peak during the interwar period. Today, as then, the vast majority of Parisian men and women are born outside the capital. The massive influx of young people of working age, coupled with a low fertility rate and fewer older people, gave the interwar population of Paris a distinctive structure. And while, today as then, Paris has more single people than the rest of France, there is no longer any notable difference
https://www.ined.fr/fichier/s_rubrique/36282/636a_ined.v3.en.pdf

№ 637, October 2025

Work-life balance: who faces the most difficulties?
Romeo Fontaine, Ariane Pailhe, Delphine Remillon
Drawing on a range of indicators, the Family and Employers survey (FamEmp) shows that for a large share of working individuals, work is a source of fatigue and stress that affects their private life but is also a source of personal fulfilment. Difficulties in reconciling work and private life vary by family structure. They are greatest for parents of children under age 6 and for people providing support to a disabled or elderly dependent relative. The quality of the work-life balance varies even more widely according to working conditions. A poor work-life balance is associated with poor health and increases the desire to find a different job, but it does not affect fertility intentions.
https://www.ined.fr/fichier/rte/221/Popetsoc/637/637A_INED_3.pdf

№ 638, November 2025

Savings for children: significant social and family-related disparities
Marion Leturcq
From birth or soon after, one in three children has a savings account set up in their name. By the time children are approaching adulthood, this proportion has increased to more than two in three, but differences in the amounts saved per child are significant. A minority already have substantial savings, some comparable with the savings of low-income adult households. While no difference is noted between girls and boys, children’s savings do vary according to numbers of siblings and family situation. Inequalities between children primarily reflect the wealth of the family in which they grow up.
https://www.ined.fr/fichier/s_rubrique/36387/638a.ined.en.pdf

№ 639, December 2025

Seven in ten women over the age of 60 face an average of 13 years of widowhood
Carole Bonnet, Julie Treguier
Loss of a partner generally results in a long period of widowhood, lasting 13 years on average. This duration, estimated based on life tables, should shorten slightly by 2070. It is longer for widows from poorer households than for those from wealthy households, and therefore represents an even greater proportion of their old age. In Europe, widowhood seems to last longer in countries where the longevity gap between women and men is wide. European comparisons place France in a median position.
https://www.ined.fr/fichier/s_rubrique/36415/639a.ined.en.pdf

№ 640, January 2026

Fathers have embraced longer and more flexible paternity leave
Ariane Pailhe, Anne Solaz, Alix Sponton, Maxime To
Reformed in 2021, paternity leave in France was extended and made more flexible. The proportion of fathers taking this leave continues to grow, particularly among those that used to claim it least, such as self-employed workers, those on fixed-term contracts, and the least-educated fathers. Fathers’ presence at the birth of their child and beyond is becoming the norm. However, occupational and financial pressures remain an obstacle to the use of paternity leave. Only a minority of fathers take a “solo” paternity leave after the mother’s return to work, but these numbers are increasing.
https://www.ined.fr/fichier/rte/221/Popetsoc/640/640A-INED.pdf