Everywhere on the planet, fertility is declining. Even the most populous country in the world, China, is seeing its population decline.
Beijing lost two million inhabitants in 2023 and ceded first place on the podium to India. In France, this phenomenon worries Emmanuel Macron enough for him to call for ‘demographic rearmament’ of the country. However, women do not necessarily have an interest in having children. The historian Mathilde Larrère and the journalist and author Bettina Zourli explain how women's rights, development and the number of children are correlated.