It’s a conundrum. Modern societies place a high value on empowering women. Yet that can clash with another goal: making babies.

In country after country, rising rates of education and financial independence for girls and women correlate with sinking fertility rates. It isn’t the only factor, of course. Urbanization and the quest for improved living standards also contribute. But the end result is that much of the Western world and large parts of Asia are in demographic decline.

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