Today, Fatou, 12, is going to the sea. Not yesterday, nor tomorrow. Just today. «Apart from a day this summer at the Noisy-le-Grand park with the Secours populaire and a trip to the Beauval zoo last year, which were great, I never go away because we don’t have any money, says this schoolgirl from Seine-Saint-Denis, who lives in a home with her mother and two brothers. So I’m really happy because it will allow me to have a good time.” Fatou is one of some 3,500 young people from the Paris region aged six to twelve who are being taken to Deauville by Secours populaire on Wednesday 21 August. Between 15 and 31 August, the association is organising no fewer than 50 so-called “holiday forgotten” days for nearly 50,000 people throughout France.
Although today there are few people who question the need for holidays, it is nevertheless a relatively new concept. Indeed, before the introduction of the third week of paid leave in 1956 and then the fourth in 1969, “holidays were not so widespread,” recalls Louis Maurin, founder of the Observatory of Inequalities. He notes that “The departure rate has increased sharply since the 1960s, going from 42% to 58% between 1964 and 1985, before not changing much since then, which is a bit surprising, given that there was the 35-hour week reform and the country continues to get richer.”
Precariousness of work
Despite everything, today, “four out of ten people do not go on holiday for at least four consecutive days”, says Sandra Hoibian, general director of the Research Center for the Study and Observation of Living Conditions (Crédoc), which conducts a survey on this subject three times a year. “In the 1990s, it was more like 35%. There was a Covid effect of course. But we also attribute this development to the precariousness of work and the growth of compulsory spending. In times of difficulty, leisure is the first adjustment variable.”
However, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), only one in ten children does not go on holiday, “without doubtbecause children are considered a priority for holidays, estime Sandra Hoibian. People who can send them to family or to group stays.subsidized by town halls or associations. »
Car, “Holidays are first and foremost a question of means, recalls Louis Maurin. Thus, the Insee tells us that, among the 20% of people who have the lowest incomes, 54% say they cannot afford to pay for a week’s holiday away from home.” Which naturally results in a very strong inequality in departure rates. “In 2024, 58% of the poorest will not leave, while this is only the case for 24% of the richest,” said Sandra Hoibian.
“Not only do the wealthiest go away more, and several times a year, for skiing for example, or to a second home. But, in addition, they have different vacations, adds Louis Maurin. They go to the other side of the world more often…
Inequalities in age and marital status
Decisive, the financial criterion is however not the only one to intervene. The socio-professional category qualifies the observation. Thus, 78% of senior executives and 72% of intermediate professions leave. But this is only the case for 53% of farmers, craftsmen, traders and business leaders, for whom vacations mean loss of turnover.
Age and health are also determining factors. According to Crédoc, 69% of people reporting very satisfactory health go on holiday compared to 35% of those whose health is not satisfactory at all. Corollary: while 53.4% of 35-49 year-olds go away for at least a week in the summer, this rate drops to 49.3% among 50-64 year-olds and 41.3% among those 65 and over, according to a 2016 study by the Ministry of the Economy.
Living conditions can also play a role. Living in the countryside or by the sea can make the need for a vacation less pressing. In addition, explains Sandra Hoibian, “While 80% of departures are by car, not having a driving license can be a problem”. Finally, marital status is not without effect either. According to Crédoc, if 66% of couples with or without children go on vacation, this is only the case for 47% of single people.
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“Going on vacation is essential”
Catherine Luffroy, elected to the national office of Secours populaire
“Going on vacation is essential to well-being and balance. Not only does it allow you to have a good time, to forget your worries, but it also allows you to build social ties. It also contributes to popular education, by allowing people to discover new things. This is why the Secours populaire has been organizing Forgotten Vacation Days since 1979. In addition to these days, we also offer some families the opportunity to go away for eight days together, or to send their children to low-cost camps. And of course, we always have our volunteer families who host children in their homes during the holidays.”
