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A couple of pacsés pass, on August 11, 2001, for the first time in front of the mayor of the ninth arrondissement of Paris, the "pioneer" Jacques Bravo, who invented, in his town hall, a short ceremony to "share the joy of consent ". AFP / JEAN-LOUP GAUTREAU

Birth, marriage, Pacs ... what does the French family look like in 2019? Researchers at INSEE and INED, the national institute of statistics and demographic studies, give their conclusions and portray a family unit in the throes of change.

Forming a couple does not necessarily mean getting the ring on your finger. In 2017, 233,915 marriages were celebrated in France. Since 1946, this figure has never been lower, except in 2016. This change is explained by a change in behavior: concubinage is much more socially accepted than before. In addition, the decline in the number of inhabitants aged 20 to 59, the age group most concerned by marriage, has contributed to this phenomenon over the past decade.

We get married less and less and also more and more later. In 2017, marriages between spouses of different sexes brought together women aged 36 on average and men aged 38. In 1997, women married at age 30 and men at age 32. The average age of the married has therefore increased by more than 5 years in the last two decades.

The Pacs is almost equal to the marriage

Another element that shows the decline of the institution of marriage in France: more and more couples are opting for the Pacs. According to the latest figures from INSEE, 4 Pacs are now concluded when 5 marriages are pronounced. These Pacs are concluded in a vast majority between two people of different sex. Same-sex couples are only 4% to choose this type of union.

However, marriage among homosexual couples is far from being popular. They too are fewer and fewer to say "yes" in town hall. In 2017, 7,244 same-sex couples were married, down 31% from 2014, the first year of full implementation of the Marriage for All Act . Since 2013, 40,000 gay marriages have been celebrated in France, including 21,000 between men and 19,000 between women.

A declining fertility rate for the fourth year in a row

In 2018, 758,000 babies were born in France, 12,000 fewer than the previous year. Pregnancy is more and more late, a trend observed in all developed countries. The reasons are well known: lengthening the duration of studies, changes in the status of women, uncertainty of the future for young adults ... However, not enough to talk about baby blues, with 1.87 children per woman, the France continues to lead the most fertile countries in the European Union.

Finally, researchers note a change in child care among single-parent families. Court decisions in favor of alternate custody doubled in 10 years and accounted for 17% of judgments. Today, 400,000 minors live half of the time with one parent and then the other. It is estimated that 1 in 5 families is single parent in France.