Frenched?

Posted by Analyse at 6:36 PM

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

No matter how adapted I am to the french culture and their way of life, am I Frenched? Nope, not really. I don't complain over small things!

I just received a document from their Social Security System a week ago stating all my pregnancy expenses will be handled by their organization, everything will be reimbursed at 100% from the 4th month till my baby turns two months. In return, I have to submit myself to series of medical visits (thus blood and urine analysis + ultrasounds) up to 2 months after giving birth, and so is my baby. Hmm, not enough to make me complain though.

Anyway, if it's not 100%, my complementary insurance will reimburse the rest. The company where I work pays a big part of my complementary insurance, do I have to complain?

I'll be sending my pregnancy file to the Caisse d'Allocations Familiales which in return will evaluate my financial situation. If they judge that I need financial aid, then I'll have monthly allowance from my 7th month till my baby turns 3. In addition to that, I should normally receive a welcome incentive amounting to a considerable euros. Do I have reasons to complain? Hmm, nada! But hey, I just checked and I don't think my financial status allows me to receive the monthly allowance, nor the welcome incentive. Will I complain now? Ah, I guess I would rather help than be helped in this case. The law here is, the more you gain, the more you pay (taxes!). Socialization daw. I'd rather work and have constant cash inflow than aim for government aid (and be pregnant every year to have the incentive! hehe).

So much things to be thanked for, just got no time to complain.

6 comments:

Singa Mama said...

ahhh, same here in germany. until 2 years ago, women still got those premiums for giving birth. pero with the current economic problems, reserved for the truly needy na lang sya ngayon. but i think it was never really considered as social alms; more like an incentive so that women would take the time off and get pregnant. negative pa rin kasi yata ang population growth dito sa germany eh. how's with france?

Analyse said...

The welcome incentive is not a social alm here, it's really an incentive, yun nga lang, just like their taxes, there's always a bareme. Not everything is accesible to everybody. Hay naku, I'm badly in need too.

It's the same here, population growth is still low inspite of the welcome incentive :), i guess they have to give a higher incentive hehe. The target i guess is 2.5 per couple, as of today, it's at 1.88. I just dont understand coz after giving birth, there's almost nowhere to leave the baby. We talk about unemployment and i think nurseries could be a big business/employer here!

tintin said...

Here in the U.S. there is a child allowance per year. Not that big a deal really but its part of the big fat paycheck in the form of tax return people get and expect during tax season

Anonymous said...

in Sweden, if you are a working mother, you are entitled to take a year off from work and the whole time, you get 80% of your salary. Great deal!

Doon kulang yung incentive, you have no choice where you can leave the baby. not every household can afford to live on single-income.

talk na lang to your employer. since home office is not possible due to your line of work, part-time na lang. I went back to work 7 months after giving birth and they agreed to completely take away my business trips (which was around once or twice a month) and to let me work part-time. Ask na lang. Then, you can consider whatever choices you have left.

mell ditangco (this is my pseudonym) said...

i like the way you think, very indeopendent just like the great american way, pay for your own. I know some people in the states that have aimed for benefits rather aim for financial success.

Analyse said...

Tin, isn't it nice to get something in return, sana ganyan din sa pinas. Here, they only have a certain allowance every school opening I guess. Anyways, they have social security coverage and education here cost almost nothing, provided you do it in public schools which are more predominant here.

Schatzli, haha, makalimutan daw ba ang responsibilities, tama ba yun. Here in France, I don't think I'll get 100% if I stop for a year, some mothers even stop for 3 years (under certain modalities of course) to take care of their babies, I just don't know how much they get.

Me too, right now I'm trying to imagine myself on how I could balance between work and family life. I don't want to stop working for the simple reason na I just started working (since last year lang), medyo opportunist yata ang dating if magleleave ako kaagad, kakastart ko pa lang...and I need my 100% salary hehe.

AnP, hay naku, I was forced to tell my immediate boss about my pregnancy as he asked me to go to the Phils two weeks ago, and I saw more of worries (abt work) in his eyes than excitement for me, he even forgot to congratulate me, kainis! I'm still weighing different options now, anyways, I will surely ask for no-travels for at least a year after giving birth.

Now I'm thinking, Laurent could get a paternity leave too...bakit lagi na lang mothers?

Mell, there are a lot like that here too. And sometimes, I think the govt incites these kind of people. Here, if you're unemployed, you've got the govt aid computed depending on the number of children in the household. And sometimes, even if they've got a possibility to work, they opt to stay unemployed rather than give up their monthly benefit. Mas mataas pa kasi minsan yung benefit kesa sa magiging sweldo esp kung marami silang anak. Financially, it is indeed the good solution, the thing is, they will never get out of their situation. Bad news is that, it's us, taxpayers, who ensure their survival, too much for a Europe Sociale.