Reproductive Agency vs. Authoritarian Demographics
From Democracy in Question? by Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy
December 10, 2025 · 57 min · Season 11 · Episode 4
About this episode
This episode examines how global anxieties around fertility and population change continue to shape reproductive politics.
This episode examines how global anxieties around fertility and population change continue to shape reproductive politics. Why do governments still target women’s bodies—whether to raise or restrict birth rates—and how do these pressures undermine reproductive rights and democratic trust? Drawing on new UNFPA data, our guests reveal why people across countries have fewer children than they desire, and how economic precarity, unequal care burdens, and gender norms matter far more than incentives or alarmist rhetoric. Tune in to hear why defending reproductive autonomy is essential to building resilient, democratic societies today.
Topics covered
- reproductive rights
- population change
- fertility
- democratic trust
- gender norms
- economic precarity
Keywords
- reproductive agency
- authoritarian demographics
- birth rates
- women's bodies
- democratic societies
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: UNFPA
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