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or the first time in France, in 2025, the number of deaths (651,000) will exceed the number of births (645,000), according to INSEE, the national statistics institute. The total fertility rate now stands at 1.56 children per woman – its lowest level since the end of World War I and far below the replacement rate of 2.1. In the 1960s, it was above 2.5.
This negative balance has been presented as a warning sign. Hence, the emergence of martial language, such as "demographic rearmament" [a phrase used by President Emmanuel Macron in January 2024], which suggests urgency and mobilization. However, this narrative places the blame almost exclusively on women, operating a kind of normative shift based on a triple injunction.
First, a temporal injunction: The average age at first childbirth, currently 31, is regularly cited. In the 1960s, it was 27. The idea is that there is an ideal age for having children – well before 30 – after which the biological clock becomes a threat, feeding anxiety among women in their 30s. Second, a moral injunction: Women are encouraged not to regret prioritizing their careers later in life. Third, an identity-based injunction: Motherhood is framed as the natural fulfillment for every woman.
