Book Reviews
| Date | 01 June 1987 |
| Published date | 01 June 1987 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2435.1987.tb00583.x |
Book
Reviews
MINISTERE DES AFFAIRES SOCIALES ET
1986,
Une nouvelle politique de I'imrnigration.
Paris
:
La
Documentation Franmise, 1986, 1 19
DE LA SOLIDARITE NATIONALE.
1981-
pp, ISBN
:
0-8640861
This volume covering French immigration poli-
cy between 1981 and 1986 is part of a series of
publications which brings studies, research and
reports on social issues commissioned by Go-
vernment agencies to the attention of a larger
audience. In that context, this publication is an
excellent contribution to clarifying the accom-
plishments of the French government in resol-
ving the ongoing problems and issues of which
migrant workers are frequently seen to be the
focus if not the cause. It provides a frank and
thorough overview of the actual context in
which policy is formulated; the presence of
foreigners and their children in the social, eco-
nomic and public sectors of French society; the
legislative action taken and its limitations
or
fai-
lures. It is also a forward-looking document in
that it dissipates many sources of prejudice and
ill-informed comments on the role of immi-
grants in the labour market and in the commu-
nity. Obviously, this publication could not
go
beyond its time frame and was unable to foresee
the conservative measures proposed by the
more recent political alignment in the French
Government. It remains to be seen whether the
more conservative forces will actually impose
their views.
The introduction by the Minister of Social Af-
fairs and National Solidarity of 1985, Georgina
Dufoix, sets the tone by dispelling some of the
many sources of xenophobic polemics. She re-
calls that 80% of foreigners residing in France
have been in the country for more than ten years
and that 23 %were born in that country. In other
words, the foreign population of France has been
virtually stable since 1975 when migration was
severely restricted. Another point: foreigners
tend to be young. One out of four is under four-
teen years of age and of that number, 70% were
born in France. On the other hand, only 7.6%
are over 65 years of age as opposed to a figure of
14% for the equivalent age range in the French
population.
Also
the population is becoming a
more balanced one since women now make up
42% instead of the 39% they represented in
1962. A number of conclusions
can
be drawn
from these figures alone, one of which is that, as
the document later points out, foreigners do not
take as great advantage of social services and
retirement benefits as does the French popula-
tion itself. While the former continue to contri-
bute to
tax
revenue because they are young and
working, they do not yet benefit fully from the
social welfare benefits to which they are enti-
tled.
The document continues to provide realistic and
well-substantiated arguments for the policy pur-
suedduringtheperiod 1981-1986. Wenotethat
the major issues remain unresolved, however.
Demographically speaking, migrants tend to be
concentrated in the same geographic areas as
they have always been. They remain concentra-
ted in the same sectors of the economy and in
their vast majority
are
the bottom of socio-pro-
fessional categories. The sectors in which they
have been traditionally concentrated, industry
and constructiodpublic works, have also been
the hardest hit by the economic recession. Hen-
ce, migrants have inevitably suffered greater
unemployment problems than the French wor-
king population as a whole. This fact is exami-
ned in relation to the restrictions on migration
and efforts to control the flow of workers, inclu-
ding seasonal farm labour. The publication
goes
into great detail on measures taken in this area as
well as to clarify access to French nationality.
223
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