The 51‪%‬ FRANCE 24 English

Among policymakers and business leaders, little attention appears to have been paid to one of the fastest-growing demographics; women who are choosing not to have children. Annette Young talks to Dr Caroline Magennis who's written a manifesto for childfree women. Also Claudia Sheinbaum becomes Mexico's first-ever female president. But the scientist and former Mexico City mayor is facing a host of challenges as the country reels from spiralling violence with drug cartels battling for influence. Plus we meet a rare breed. The French women deep sea divers who are plunging to new depths and breaking barriers as a result.

With EU elections now just around the corner, women's rights groups are anxiously waiting to see if pollsters have been correct to predict a surge in support for the far right. At a country level, parties associated with the far-right groups in the European Parliament have a long history of seeking to erode sex-specific protections, including access to abortion. Haxie Meyers-Belkin speaks to Jéromine Andolfatto, a policy and campaign officer with the European Women's Lobby.

On June 2, millions of Mexicans are set to make history by voting in their first-ever female president with the two leading candidates both being women; Dr Claudia Sheinbaum from the leftist Morena party, and her right-wing rival, Xóchitl Gálvez. Annette Young heads to Mexico to ask what does this political watershed mean for women's rights in a country where femicide is a massive problem and an estimated 10 women are murdered each day. We meet both candidates and ask them how will they prioritise gender equality given the extent of problems in the Latin American nation besieged by drug wars. We also meet femicide activist, Norma Andrade, and renowned feminist writer, Dr Marcela Lagarde.

So what is a "trad-wife"?  Well, it’s internet shorthand for traditional wives. We take a look at the women influencers extolling the virtues of staying at home while yielding to their husbands. Annette Young asks researcher, Cecile Simmons, if there is a more sinister element behind the trend. Also France boasts one of the world's highest percentages of women in uniform. Yet the country still lags behind when it comes to addressing sexual assault and harassment in the military, according to female ex-soldiers.

A new six-week abortion ban in Florida makes it illegal to seek a termination before many women even realise they're pregnant. Amid a dizzying patchwork of abortion legislation across US states following the overturning of Roe v. Wade almost two years ago, the issue of reproductive rights is increasingly galvanising voters on both sides of the political divide. Also, as birth rates continue to fall steadily across much of the word, Haxie Meyers-Belkin talks to Dr Helen O'Neill, lecturer in Reproductive and Molecular Genetics at UCL, about what she calls the "fertility taboo", whereby growing numbers of couples struggle to start families after neglecting their reproductive health until it's too late. 

While Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction has been overturned by New York's top court, the French medical profession is now dealing with a series of #MeToo allegations in hospitals, including one leading female specialist levelling accusations against a renowned male colleague. Also it may be 2024 but a full-time working woman still makes only 88 cents for every euro or dollar earned by a man, across the OECD. Annette Young talks to OECD senior economist, Valerie Frey, on the effectiveness of pay transparency laws. Plus the Egyptian female rappers vying for the spotlight as they seek to pursue their careers in a highly traditional Muslim country.