The Civil Solidarity Pact was put in place on November 15, 1999. At the time, 6,151 contracts had been concluded. Over the years, more and more couples have chosen this union. Until reaching a record in 2022, with 210,000 signatures.
To live happily, let's live in a civil partnership. This Friday, November 15, the Civil Solidarity Pact, known as Pacs, celebrates its 25th anniversary. At the time, the arrival of this contract was seen as a revolution for couples who wanted to commit without getting married, and for homosexual couples who wanted to unite. From its creation in 1999 to 2010, the number of Pacs signatures continued to grow, going from 22,271 in 2000 to 205,550 ten years later, according to INSEE. Before falling in 2011, reaching 152,213 signatures, then gradually rising until 2020, the year of the Covid-19 epidemic, where 173,894 contracts were still concluded. In 2022, a record will be recorded with 210,000 Pacs signed.
Enough to contradict those who predicted a drastic drop in the number of PACS after the law on marriage for all in 2013. And for good reason: the vast majority of PACS are signed between people of different sexes. In 1999, 3,551 civil partnerships for heterosexual couples were registered compared to 2,600 for homosexual couples. In 2022, 199,477 civil partnerships for heterosexual couples were concluded compared to 10,350 for homosexual couples.
Marriages and civil partnerships, an almost equivalent number
From year to year, we therefore see that the gap between the number of PACS signed by couples of different sexes and of the same sex has continued to widen. The share of homosexual couples represented 42% of contracts in 1999, 24% the following year, and less than 5% today.
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If the curve for the number of civil partnerships soars from year to year, that of the number of marriages looks gloomy. In 1999, the number of unions increased from 293,544 to 241,710 in 2022. In 2020, moreover, couples preferred to enter into a PACS rather than a marriage. A first, which can be explained by the multiple cancellations of nuptial ceremonies, again due to the pandemic, unlike PACS which is generally formalized in a more sober way compared to marriage. The latter is often perceived by couples as a more solemn and more binding commitment – both in its implications and in the ritual celebration that surrounds it.
The growing success of the PACS, in particular among heterosexual couples, can be explained by the numerous economic and administrative advantages that it offers to cohabitees: an advantageous tax rate thanks to the joint declaration of income or even the possibility of being covered by their partner's health insurance, including in the event of unemployment or upon retirement. The contract also allows access to a temporary right to housing and to benefit from a total exemption from inheritance tax.
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