What lies behind France's low level of income inequality?

We document the evolution of working-age individual pre-
tax and disposable income inequality in France since the late
1960s using household surveys. Disposable income inequality
declined over the 1960s and 1970s and remained stable
thereafter. This trend can be explained, in part, by changes
in the tax and benefit system, notably through changes in
employer contributions, and the evolution of the national
minimum wage. Other dimensions than income bring a less
positive perspective: low-income individuals are now more
likely to be immigrants, have low education, and live in
households with no working adults.