French Summer Vacations, Cause & Effect!

Vive Les Vacances !

Vacations are sacred in France and its Summertime Blues are so well-known that they even have their own Wikipedia entry!?

Every year, Les Grandes vacances begin on August 1. Every French person, including their tiny dogs, heads to the coast at this time. More than half of France’s vacationers take their summer vacations in the same month, and pretty much everything closes down. It chokes the resorts, quiets the bustle of a great city like Paris, and reduces the country’s industrial output by a third.

The French have a reputation for hard work, considering their weekly working hours are 35 (7 hours a day, 5 days a week), but there’s no denying that the country has a lengthy summer vacation period.

Before we take a look at how long France’s summer vacation is and what effects it has on the country, it makes sense to understand why it’s so long in the first place. After all, the summer vacation affects pretty much everything from the economy to culture to transportation, so it’s important to understand the reasons behind it.

(Picture above, series of first summer vacations in 1936)?

History & Legislation

France has a rich history of being a predominantly agricultural country. The country’s economy has long been focused on producing food, meaning that the summer vacation was naturally longer in order to accommodate the harvests. With increased mechanization and reliance on imports (especially in recent decades), the economy has shifted away from agriculture.

In France before 1936, only professionals, renters, and traders had vacations. The majority of workers, who were paid by the hour every fifteen days, only took Sundays off because they did not receive payment otherwise.

Employees must take a minimum of five weeks of vacation each year, under French legislation. A typical French person takes between 6 and 10 weeks of yearly leave annually, depending on their career and location. It is anticipated that close to half of workers will take a break at some time over the long summer months.

Also, it has a rich history of being a predominantly agricultural country. The country’s economy has long been focused on producing food, meaning that the summer vacation could naturally allow children and others help to harvest, and longer vacation is much better!

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France's implementation of vacation time in 1937 was promoted by the Front Populaire party in 1936. It became one of the first nations to offer paid yearly leave, and woe to anyone who stands in the way of the big opportunity. Following a string of violent protests, it was then extended to three weeks in 1956, four weeks in 1969, and five weeks in 1981. Senior white-collar workers typically receive 44 vacation days annually, compared to 56 days of yearly leave for those working in the public sector. The maximum amount of annual leave that a French employee may take in any given year is three weeks, however, there is no cap on the number of sick or mental health days that may be accrued.

Also, the country’s geography is a major factor. The southern part of the country is closer to the equator than the northern part, meaning it’s warmer. This means that the country’s summer vacation can be longer than the rest of the year without getting unbearably hot. (Although, climate change is modifying it and the whole country experienced heat due to a drought in this summer)

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Why July & August?

The best time to harvest crops was from August until September. Also, the country often experiences beautiful weather from mid-July to mid-August (less possibility of rain!). It is frequently extremely hot, with potential heatwaves (la canicule) that could linger for several days or weeks. Also, it may get pretty humid and sticky in Paris!

Juillettistes Or Ao?tiens?

There are two religions in France, where taking extended summer vacations is considered holy. These two tribes are distinct from one another and each regards the other with a degree of mistrust that verges on contempt.

According to some sociologists, the greatest significant social distinction in France has nothing to do with race, gender, religion, or even political allegiance. Instead, it has to do with when you go on summer vacation!

The juillettistes

Those who leave town before the nation plunges into a deep frost are known as Juillettistes. More vacant beaches, lower prices, and less traffic. When they return to the office, they especially enjoy showing off their tans to their Ao?tien coworkers, whom they taunt for being "as white as aspirin”!

The Ao?tiens

This tribe considers itself the responsible one. There is work to be done and they are not leaving until it’s finished! The Ao?tiens think of themselves as the backbone of France, the upholders of civic duty. Why even the president of France waits until August to take vacation?! Yes, prices may be a bit higher in August but the weather is guaranteed to be hot.

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The Effects of France’s Summer Vacation

For decades, the summer shutdown has been seen as an economic burden on the country. But comparing that to other industrial countries, France is doing pretty much great! So I asked “Why is that?” and What is the Impact of All This on France’s Economy?

Cities, Shops, and Tourism

Cities are typically closed for a portion of the summer in Europe (particularly in Italy and France), as urbanites head to the beach during the July and August months. There will be people who say these are difficult times to travel, but this isn’t a big deal.

Paris?The Marais, 5th, 6th, and 7th are areas where life is more casual. In other parts of town, such as the southern and western halves of the 16th arrond, there may be a sense of emptiness

Macroeconomics and GDP

The analysis of working hours is essential for measuring macroeconomic productivity as well as economic well-being beyond economic production, according to economists Diane Coyle and Leonard Nakamura.

Changes in how people are permitted to divide their time among various activities—of which paid labor is merely one—need to be taken into account in a more comprehensive framework for assessing "development." The evidence suggests that workers in many nations today work significantly less than they have in the previous 150 years, not more than they have ever worked.

Despite the enormous disparities that exist both within and across nations, there has been a significant development.

?The four highlighted countries exemplify how working hours have decreased at the same time that average incomes have increased. Germany, for example, moved far to the right as its GDP per capita increased more than 10-fold (from $5,227 to $51,191), and far to the bottom as working hours decreased by nearly half (from 2,428 hours to 1,386 hours each year).

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This makes sense: as people’s incomes rise, they can afford more of the things they enjoy, including more leisure and less time spent working.

Before delving into the impact, let’s look at the total number of vacation days in France. In theory, the average worker in France has between 25 and 30 vacation days a year. In practice, however, the average worker in France only actually takes about ~10 of these days.

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What is the Impact of All This on France’s Economy?

The French like to refer to their long summer vacation as “le creux de l’été” (the low point of summer).

Historically, it’s supposed to be a time when everyone is out of money, businesses are closed, and the economy is at a standstill. When the weather is nice, the country’s residents are out enjoying themselves instead of spending money. Hotels and other tourist-related businesses suffer from the drop-off in visitors. In essence, with everything closed down, France’s economy is at a standstill.

But, it’s important to note, however, that tourism has actually been on the rise in recent years, with the low point of summer becoming less and less noticeable. The French government has also taken steps to make it better for businesses to do business during the low point of summer. This is actually obvious in recent years for example when I was in France during 2013, Paris was almost shut down! with only a few shops being open, but now at least in tourist areas of Paris, most of the shops are open.

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Bottom Line

Each worker can become significantly more productive thanks to technolo-gical innovation, which is here widely defined to include both actual devices and ideas, information, and processes. Additionally, higher productivity contributes to higher salaries as well as shorter workweeks.

Agriculture is a good illustration of how technological innovation boosts productivity increase. Farmers are now much more productive because to advancements in equipment, crop varieties, fertilizers, and land management. For instance, from 1948 to 2011, farm production in France increased by about 16 times. We are able to feed a population that is expanding quickly because to this enhanced productivity, despite the fact that fewer people than ever are employed in agriculture.

This graph illustrates the rise in labor productivity across the board, not only in agriculture. Richer nations' technological, economic, and social systems have made it possible for workers there to produce more while putting in less time.

In addition to technological advancement, there is evidence that working fewer hours can maintain productivity levels high, supporting the relationship between working hours and productivity. For instance, economist John Pencavel (2015) discovered that the output of munitions workers in wartime Britain remained high up to a particular threshold of hours but sharply decreased above that threshold. Most of us have probably experienced the productivity decline that occurs after a very long workday. Enjoy your summer vacation and relax because you deserve it!

P.S. This year, the French seem determined to take a holiday, even if it means not traveling nearly as far, despite the skyrocketing costs brought on by inflation and the return of foreign visitors. France, like much of the rest of the world, is experiencing skyrocketing inflation and sharply rising gas prices. French tourists are staying closer to home because they are feeling the pinch.

Also, following france other countries in the world followed this legislation but in this level they are accompanied by Italy and ain some degree Germany with Spain.

Some fun facts

In 2013, President Fran?ois Hollande directed his ministers to take just the shortest summer vacations. Mon dieu, only two weeks is enough!

In the face of ministerial discontent, he valiantly set an example by taking his girlfriend, Valérie Trierweiler for a brief "minimalist vacation." Was it a coincidence that Trierweiler broke up with him six months later and that he no longer held the presidency two years later?!

Pictures of first summer holidays?https://www.magnumphotos.com/arts-culture/society-arts-culture/en-vacances-the-first-paid-french-holidays/