French psychologist Maryse Vaillant encourages wives to welcome their husbands' affairs as a sign that their marriage is healthy because, as she says, "a pact of fidelity is not natural but cultural.”
Pre-2007, it was enough for the French public to accept gitans as a necessary bother, to steer clear of them and hope they might move on. But since Romania and Bulgaria’s accession to the European Union in 2007, the game has changed.
In Australia, it seems that opportunities to gamble are everywhere. In France, by contrast, gambling is largely limited to casinos and betting shops (PMU). But does this mean France is free from problem gambling?
The number of unmarried couples in France has quadrupled in the last two decades and the trend is moving in the same direction in Australia. The decline in marriage interest is mirrored in the French political arena.
Aggression on and off the field has historically been a feature of French soccer. The history of ‘football hooliganism’ in France is rich and detailed. It includes incidences of car burning, flare throwing, mass injury and even death.
In Australia, it is people of a lower socio-economic status who are more likely to purchase frozen foods instead of their fresh equivalents. In France, however, the opposite appears to be true.
In France, everyone is a critic. Considered to be the height of impoliteness in Australian society, French dinner guests routinely critique the food served by their host.
In France, it is exceptionally rare and very difficult to change careers. French people go to school, they go to university and whatever they choose to study is what they subsequently become.
Women all around the world deal with guilt every day. It may be guilt over buying takeaway instead of cooking. Or buying the cheaper laundry detergent that isn't environmentally friendly. And of course there is the age-old question of whether or not to outsource the childcare responsibilities.
For years health experts have admired and advocated the French approach to alcohol. The idea of binge drinking seems ill at ease next to the sense of formality and elegance inherent to French culture. Yet it appears that binge drinking is indeed present, and on the rise in France.
Come with us to experience French life beyond the cliché.
Magazine – Events – Experiences
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