“Shame”, “the desire to manage women’s bellies”, “a staggering denial”… Reactions to Emmanuel Macron’s announcements on the reform of parental leave

During his press conference on Tuesday, the President of the Republic spoke of a new “birth leave” and a “major plan to combat” infertility. Proposals which caused a lot of reaction from the left.

Two announcements to boost the birth rate in France. During his press conference on Tuesday January 16, Emmanuel Macron spoke of the creation of a “birth leave” to replace the current parental leave and which would last six months for each parent. He also promised a “great plan of struggle” against the scourge of “male and female infertility”. Some announcements “to allow [un] demographic rearmament” and fight against the decline in the birth rate. On the social network

“After the extension of paternity leave, I deeply believe that the establishment of a new birth leave would be a useful element” to revive the birth rate in France, argued the President of the Republic. “It will be better paid and will allow both parents to be with their child for six months if they wish”said Emmanuel Macron. “Above all, it will be shorter than the current parental leave, which can last up to three years and which keeps many women out of the job market”observed the head of state.

Positions that make the left and associations jump

“Women’s rights, really a great national cause?”questions X Arthur Delaporte, spokesperson for the socialist group in the National Assembly, who lists: “Reduction in the duration of parental leave (when the trend in Europe is towards lengthening), pronatalist injunctions (without tackling pesticides, a cause of infertility)…”

Environmentalists make a link between infertility and pollution. For Julien Bayou, EELV deputy for Paris: “to be alarmed by infertility without being interested in the causes, such as insecticides and pesticides, had to be daring.” For her colleague Sandra Regol, president of the environmental group in the National Assembly, the president’s announcements are “a staggering denial of the causes” And “a desire to manage women’s bellies”. Likewise, environmental MEP Mélanie Vogel is offended: “We don’t have children to ‘rearm’ anything. If your delusions and martial rantings could at least stop at our uteruses, that would be appreciated”she wrote on X.

The spokesperson for the radical ecology party, Ecological Revolution for the Living, Azelma Sigaux, laments: “Macron reduces the duration of parental leave to ‘put women back into the job market’. Once again, Macron is trampling on social progress and reducing humans to a production machine. Shame on this country.” “LEAVE OUR UTERUS IN PEACE”, writes for her part in capital letters on X the president of the women’s foundation, Anne-Cécile Mailfert

The far right applauds

For the RN, the creation of a “birth leave” And the major plan to combat infertility are good measures. The party nevertheless demands clarification while on the birth rate, “it’s red alert”, estimates its spokesperson Philippe Ballard on franceinfo. A question arises according to him: “Will there be a Ministry of Family in this government? We are waiting for answers, we have been waiting for six and a half years.” For Philippe Ballard, “there is an absolute urgency to relaunch family policy in France.”