Part 3/13:
What's particularly alarming is that France's birth rate has plummeted by 20% over the past decade, compounding concerns about future workforce shortages. Still, France maintains one of Europe's highest fertility rates, which shields it somewhat from the worst demographic collapse seen elsewhere. This is largely attributed to France's early secularization and cultural shifts, which led to a decline in fertility earlier than other nations. The country's history of cultural liberalization has thus paradoxically delayed but cannot prevent demographic decline.