Podcast: Fighting domestic violence, egg freezing, and the day Napoleon took the throne

The French government has announced new measures to tackle domestic violence and femicide. What will it actually change for victims? Also, how women in France will be able to freeze their eggs and take more control over their fertility. And the day Napoleon crowned himself emperor.

The French government announced a raft of measures and legal changes this week following a three-month "Grenelle" debate on tackling conjugal violence. While feminists are crying foul over the lack of additional funding, the issue is at least being taken seriously with an increase in places in shelters, specific training for police and potentially significant changes to the law. Lawyer Catherine Le Magueresse talks about some of the key points that could encourage more women to come forward and take care of them when they do. (Listen at 0:16)

Women in France are having children later in life, but since fertility drops after the age of 35 it makes it more difficult to get pregnant. The technology exists for women to freeze their eggs when they are younger and use them later when they're ready to have a child. The procedure is illegal in France, but the new bioethics law slated for 2020 could change that.  In the meantime doctors like Michael Grynberg are willing to bend the rules. We report from one of his consultations in a hospital near Paris. (Listen at 12:34)

And in this week's date with French history we take you back to 2 December, 1804 when Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself emperor of France. It was the ultimate move for this self-made man, who managed to make himself a royal, five years after a bloody Revolution ended the monarchy. (Listen at 8:41)

Spotlight on France is mixed by Julien Magouarou.
Subscribe to the Spotlight on France podcast on iTunes (link here) or Google podcasts (link here).