社会杂志 ›› 2023, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (4): 154-184.

• 专题二:西方社会理论与社会政策 • 上一篇    下一篇

个体化是生育的滞碍吗?——从法国家庭政策的演变历程与底层逻辑讲起

吴真   

  • 发布日期:2023-09-25
  • 作者简介:吴真 上海大学社会学院,E-mail:venersezw@126.com
  • 基金资助:
    本文系国家社会科学基金一般项目“家庭个体化背景下法国生育反弹的理论、实践及启示研究”(22BSH049)的阶段性成果。

Is Individualisation an Obstacle to Fertility? A Discussion on the Evolution and Underlying Logic of French Family Policy

WU Zhen   

  • Published:2023-09-25
  • Supported by:
    This article is sponsored by "Theories, Practice, and Inspiration on Fertility Rebound in France under the Family Individualisation" (22BSH049) of the National Social Science Foundation of China.

摘要: 个体化常被当作生育率衰微的重要原由,二者的反向关联借由全球诸多国家的人口演变轨迹暂时得到承认,却在法国家庭政策成功实现生育反弹的历程中被消解。这一历程围绕对待家庭个体化的态度分为前后两段:20世纪60年代末之前,以压制个体意识、重塑家庭秩序为核心理念,结果是婚姻家庭越发多变,生育水平不升反降;自70年代起,法律政策转向顺应个体诉求、尊重个人选择,同时又在经济社会资源的再分配上注重对弱势个体的帮扶和对强势个体的监督,由此带来了从90年代至今的生育水平的回升。后一段的经验投射出法国学界与政界对个体化两重意涵的充分认知:一方面,接纳且善用个体化展现的能动性,另一方面,防范且遏制个体化导致的不公正。由此,在家庭政策的建构中逐渐形成兼顾个体自由和社会公平的底层逻辑,并以此为准绳一以贯之地进行政策的修缮和执行,最终疏通个体化对生育率的阻滞。这段历史不单旨在呈现具体的措施,更在于追问如何恰切地借助政策介入来扭转个体化对生育的抑制,以此为徘徊在崎岖路径上的各国提供思路和启迪。

关键词: 个体化, 生育, 法国, 家庭政策, 底层逻辑

Abstract: Individualisation is often considered as an important cause for fertility decline. The inverse correlation between the individualisation and the fertility rate was tentatively verified by the demographic evolution trajectory of many countries around the world, but it was questioned during the successful implementation of family policies in France which had led to a rebound in fertility. This process, revolving around the different attitude towards the individualisation of family, could be divided into two stages. The first stage occurred before the end of the 1960s. The core concept was to suppress individuality and revive family order. As a result, the instability of marriage and family gradually increased, and the birth rate did not rise but fell. The second stage began in the 1970s with a new shift of law and policies towards accommodating individual demands and respect ing individual choices. The government paid more attention to assist vulnerable individuals in the redistribution of economic and social resources. This had brought about a rebound in fertility since the 1990s.
The experience in the latter stage reflects the understanding of the French academic and political circles on the dual connotations of individualisation. In the face of the positive aspects of individualisation, they advocated accepting and making good use of the initiatives exhibited by individuals, and thus introduced a series of regulations and measures to ensure his or her autonomy in marriage and childbirth. However, in the face of the negative aspects of individualization, attempts were made to level the gap between different individuals in terms of gender and intergenerational relationships in order to prevent and curb social injustice. As a result, an underlying logic of taking into account both individual freedom and social fairness has been gradually formed in the French family policies. The French government has used this as a criterion to consistently adjust and implement laws and policies, and ultimately eased the fertility decline issue set by individualisation. The purpose of this study is not only to present specific measures for encouraging birthrate, but also to explore appropriate policy intervention to reverse the impact of individualisation on fertility, so as to provide ideas and inspiration for countries that are still trying to find an effective solution to the problem.

Key words: individualisation, fertility, France, family policy, underlying logic