The disparity between the rich and poor catalyzed a rift between the various strata of France’s socioeconomic classes. In the mid 20th century France experienced a surge in the economy that was distributed evenly across social classes- although the rich grew richer, the middle and working classes did as well. This period, referred to as the Thirty Glorious Years, spans from 1950–1983. In a collaborative article, “Income inequality in France: Economic growth and the gender gap”, Bertrand Garbinti, Jonathan Goupille-Lebret, and Thomas Piketty, collected data to assess the post-Thirty Glorious Years (TGY) era and the changing rate of net salaries by social class in France. The researchers found that during the TGY era, individual salaries rose by around 4% per year, excluding the upper extremities, whose salaries rose by 1.5% per year.[1] From the end of the TGY era to the present day, the opposite effect has been occurring, reversing the benefits of the TGY with the scales tipped in favor of the rich, especially rich men. From 1983–2014 the majority of salaries changed via a 1% net increase per year. The top percentile received a 3% net salary increase per year.[2] Though these percentages are relatively close to one another, there is still an issue at hand: the elite have amassed an unproportional concentration of wealth. While there are many factors that contribute to the pay gap, economists have speculated that, “…institutional factors governing pay setting processes for top managerial compensation, including corporate governance, the decline of unions and collective bargaining processes, and the drop in top income tax rates,” have been conducive to the socioeconomic fissure dividing France.[3] The increase of wages for the top 1% and stagnation of wages for the middle to lower classes has created a pronounced disparity between the rich and poor.
The difference in wages is subcategorized by gender, in addition to social class. Statistics from 1970 revealed that between the ages of 30–55, men earned 3.5–4 times more than women. Jumping ahead to 2012, at 25 years old, men were recorded to be earning 1.25 times more than woman. This amount increases to 1.64 times as much when 65 years old.[4] While the numbers from 2012 indicate strides in the right direction towards shrinking the pay gap, women still must face the many challenges of gender discrimination in the workplace- low probabilities of promotion and obtaining high-paying jobs: only 16% of the nation’s top 1% are female.[5] The effects wreaked by the disparity in wages between the rich and the poor are amplified when gender discrimination enters the equation. Protests have ignited across France with reactionaries objecting to President Emmanuel Macron’s new fuel tax. Combining the effects of the disparity in wages between the rich and the poor with the introduction of an environmentalist fuel tax, the angered middle and working classes banded together to form a leaderless, workers coalition, the Yellow Vests, named after the safety vests all French motorists are required to keep in their cars. In his NPR article, “Who Are France’s Yellow Vest Protesters, And What Do They Want?”, Jake Cigainero investigates the factors that have contributed to the birth of the movement and the effects the nation has thus seen since their formation. The Yellow Vests’ main focus is Macron and their frustration with the unbalanced ratio between earnings and living conditions. Arguing that Macron is a president for the rich- loosened labor laws, lowered taxes on the wealthy, and added the fuel tax- the people have, in appropriate French fashion, taken to the streets and barricades to fight on behalf of the working class.[6] Another aspect the Yellow Vest movement highlights is that the wages working class people are earning are too high to make them eligible to receive welfare benefits, but too low to support themselves without the former.[7] Starting in the provinces and rapidly moving into the cities, the Yellow Vests have protested on Saturdays for twenty-five consecutive weeks in numbers nearing 6,700 protestors in Paris alone.[8] Standing on the shoulders of giants, the movement continues the tradition of workers’ protest in this centuries old quest for livable wages for all. The devastating fire at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris sparked debate amongst Parisians and the French people as to where the government’s and the wealthiest one percent’s best interests lie. In the wake of destruction and the ebb of excitement, solidarity settled in the Îl de la Cité. In the next several days, pledges, equating to more than one billion euros, for the reconstruction of Notre Dame reignited the fervor of the Yellow Vests. The leaderless group condemned the contributions and urged the French elite to reconsider their priorities and to put the people before a building.[9] While the beginning of the Yellow Vest movement started peacefully, many demonstrations have since turned violent, resulting in looting, rioting, and the detainment of many protestors. Worried about the outbreak of violence, the protestors were prohibited from demonstrating around Notre Dame.[10] Though the movement has taken on a wing of radicalized activists, a recent poll conducted by Harris Interactive revealed that “…72 percent of French people support the yellow vests, even after Saturday’s [December 1, 2018] riots. But 85 percent responded they are against the violence.”[11] Certainly there are issues with the conduct of the protestors, the movement is not unflawed. Recent clashes with police and rioting has discredited the original purpose of the movement, the right to earn a livable wage. The fire at Notre Dame serves as the movement’s key testimonial to the hypocrisy and socially regressive interests of government and the elite, and the timeless hegemonic tale of the rich subjugating the poor. End Notes: [1] Bertrand Garbinti, Jonathan Goupille-Lebret, and Thomas Piketty, “Income Inequality in France.” Income Inequality in France | VOX, CEPR Policy Portal. September 5, 2018. Accessed May 07, 2019. https://voxeu.org/article/income-inequality-france, 3. [2] Ibid. [3] Ibid., 4. [4] Ibid; Based on a 2012 statistic. [5] Ibid. [6] Jake Cigainero, “Who Are France’s Yellow Vest Protesters, And What Do They Want?” NPR. December 03, 2018. Accessed May 07, 2019. https://www.npr.org/2018/12/03/672862353/who-are-frances-yellow-vest-protesters-and-what-do-they-want, 2. [7] Ibid. [8] Samantha Raphelson, “Yellow Vest Protesters Fueled By Anger Over Notre Dame Funds March In Paris.” NPR. April 20, 2019. Accessed May 07, 2019. https://www.npr.org/2019/04/20/715470174/yellow-vest-protesters-fueled-by-anger-over-notre-dame-funds-march-in-paris, 2. [9] Palko Karasz, “Barred From Rallying Near a Scorched Notre-Dame, ‘Yellow Vest’ Protesters March On.” The New York Times. April 20, 2019. Accessed May 07, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/20/world/europe/yellow-vest-notre-dame.html, 3. [10] Ibid., 2. [11] Jake Cigainero, “Who Are France’s Yellow Vest Protesters, And What Do They Want?” NPR. December 03, 2018, 4. Works Cited: Cigainero, Jake. “Who Are France’s Yellow Vest Protesters, And What Do They Want?” NPR. December 03, 2018. Accessed May 07, 2019. https://www.npr.org/2018/12/03/672862353/who-are-frances-yellow-vest-protesters-and-what-do-they-want. Garbinti, Bertrand, Jonathan Goupille-Lebret, and Thomas Piketty. “Income Inequality in France.” Income Inequality in France | VOX, CEPR Policy Portal. September 5, 2018. Accessed May 07, 2019. https://voxeu.org/article/income-inequality-france. Karasz, Palko. “Barred From Rallying Near a Scorched Notre-Dame, ‘Yellow Vest’ Protesters March On.” The New York Times. April 20, 2019. Accessed May 07, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/20/world/europe/yellow-vest-notre-dame.html. Press, Associated. “Yellow Vest Protests Land at Paris Airport in 25th Week.” The Washington Post. May 04, 2019. Accessed May 07, 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/paris-airport-a-yellow-vest-site-in-25th-week-of-protests/2019/05/04/f56b8772-6e6e-11e9-bbe7-1c798fb80536_story.html. Raphelson, Samantha. “Yellow Vest Protesters Fueled By Anger Over Notre Dame Funds March In Paris.” NPR. April 20, 2019. Accessed May 07, 2019. https://www.npr.org/2019/04/20/715470174/yellow-vest-protesters-fueled-by-anger-over-notre-dame-funds-march-in-paris. Comments are closed.
|
Contributors:Ryan Abramowitz, Senior Art History Major at The College of New Jersey |