THE French city of Rennes serves plates of asparagus tips to 18-month-old tots. Toulouse treats its under-fives to Roquefort-cheese tart. Toddlers in Amiens are offered a camembert tartiflette as a starter. At the country’s state-run crèches and nursery schools, a four-course meal—cheese included—is standard fare. The French like to educate taste buds as well as minds. With a long history of pro-natalist policy, they also like to support working parents. Good catering, along with long opening hours and well-equipped public nurseries, are all part of the appeal.
Yet despite all the French do to support child-rearing, the country’s birth rate has suddenly gone into decline. In 2017, for the third consecutive year, the number of births in France dropped, and to its lowest level in two decades (see chart). Along with a slight increase in the number of deaths, the gap between births and deaths—which demographers call the natural increase—fell to its lowest point since the 1950s.
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