Out-of-Wedlocks births the majority in France

France now joins Sweden, Norway, Estonia, and Bulgaria with the lamentable distinction of having the majority of births out-of-wedlock. "What's led the rise in out-of-wedlock births is that a lifestyle that was once confined to Paris is now the norm even in rural areas," the head of Insee's demographics department, Guy Desplanques, said in a telephone interview. "Marriage is no longer considered indispensable to form a family."