“Why did France begin its fertility transition decades before the rest of the co

–“Why did France begin its fertility transition decades before the rest of the continent?”–François Valentin

The answer is relatively obvious and isn’t really much of an enigma.
a) French society, particularly after the French Revolution, embraced more individualistic and secular values compared to other parts of Europe. This cultural shift contributed to a greater acceptance of birth control and smaller family sizes.
b) The ideas of Thomas Malthus, who argued that unchecked population growth would outpace food production, were widely discussed in France. This influenced early adoption of family planning practices.
c) France urbanized earlier than many other European countries, which contributed to the decline in birth rates.
d) France had relatively high literacy rates and educational standards for women, which influenced family planning decisions.
e) The weakening of the church’s influence on daily life, including its stance on birth control.
f) Perhaps most importantly Relative decline: the catholics had outbred the protestants, and french agricultural productivity (geography) and population were the source of her relative wealth. So the french had a faster rate of adjustment than protestant or poorer regions of europe. Compare with the Irish and the consequences of the potato famine.

Reply addressees: @Valen10Francois