Can someone recommend a book or other source on what it's like to live in France?

Question

I've heard things like that France has free health care and that it's mandated that companies give a minimum of five weeks paid vacation to their employees. I'm interested in finding out more about life in France, such as what the economy is like, what it's like to look for a job, what types of foods people generally eat and what types are available, whether american television shows are viewable there, etc.

Answer 1

France does not have free health care per se. It does have a system of government run health insurance and government controls on medical costs which is very effective.

College is almost free. (There are some relatively small fees but no tuition payments)

There is a 35 hour work week and mandated annual leave. There is also a generous sytems of unemployment benefits for those who lose their jobs.

On the other hand, unemployment hovers around 9.5%. (today the unemployment rate in the USA reached 4.8% and the media described this as "a devastating blow", "a disaster")

The French are some of the most heavily taxed citizens of Europe. The marginal tax rate for average wage earners in France is 40.3% while that in the USA is 20.7%.

Sales taxes are also higher in France. The general sales tax is 19.6% (with lower rates for food and medicines) compared with the USA which averages between 7& and 9% depending on locality (with food and medicines entirely exempt in some states).

Wages are generally lower than in the USA and the French, on average, have much smaller homes and fewer amenities.

Which is better is a matter of your personal tastes and the degree of individual freedom to make your own economic choices you desire.