'No children, no Christmas bonus': how the childless are treated as political scapegoats in France
A French minister recently suggested that people on welfare benefits who do not have children should no longer get the traditional Christmas bonus payment provided by the state. In doing so, report Marie Turcan and Faïza Zerouala, the government is discreetly reviving the notion that there is a social pecking order concerning those who have children and those who do not. As a result, it is spreading ideas that are popular with the far-right.
AccordingAccording to Jean-Pierre Farandou, France's minister for solidarity, people without children do not need to give presents at Christmas. In its relentless hunt for savings in its 2026 budget, the government is considering limiting the traditional Christmas bonus from the state to just those households with children. Normally it is paid to all those receiving certain welfare benefits, including recipients of the Revenu de solidarité active (RSA), the Allocation de solidarité spécifique (ASS) and the Allocation équivalent retraite (AER), and to jobless people whose entitlement to unemployment benefit has run out. The amount paid can vary from around 150 euros to 380 euros in some cases, depending on how many children a family has.
