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Kremlin Advocates for New Measures Amid Declining Birth Rates
The Russian government is taking unprecedented steps to combat an alarming decline in the country’s birth rate. This week, the Kremlin’s leading health official encouraged citizens to consider a controversial “sex-at-work” initiative as part of a broader effort to address the nation’s demographic crisis.
Despite ongoing efforts to stimulate population growth, including financial incentives, tax breaks, and campaigns to discourage abortions, Russia experienced its lowest birth rate in 25 years during the first half of 2024, according to recent United Nations data on global population trends.
During a conference called the Eurasian Women’s Forum, President Vladimir Putin emphasized the importance of women in the workforce while also advocating for increased birthrates, reflecting a dual focus on both professional advancement and family growth.
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Putin stated that the government is creating ideal conditions for women to excel professionally while also nurturing large families. His comments highlighted the societal expectation for women to balance career ambitions with domestic responsibilities.
In his address, Putin suggested that women have unique capabilities that enable them to manage both professional duties and motherhood, a perspective that has sparked discussions about gender roles and workplace expectations in Russia.
When a journalist questioned how women could find time to juggle family and demanding careers, Russia’s Health Minister, Dr. Yevgeny Shestopalov, remarked that being occupied at work should not be an excuse for not having children.
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Shestopalov’s response to concerns about busy schedules was blunt: he suggested that procreation could happen during breaks, pointing out the urgency of family building amid a rapidly changing demographic landscape.
Some lawmakers are echoing the call for larger families, advocating for women to begin having children as early as 18 years old. Lawmakers like Anna Kuznetsova and Tatyana Butskaya have proposed that employers should monitor the reproductive health of their female employees.
Additionally, women in Moscow who are between 18 and 40 years old are being urged to undergo fertility assessments in an effort to support the government’s pro-natalist policies.
Experts like Rebekah Koffler, a former intelligence officer, note that while the Kremlin views declining birth rates as disastrous, Russia’s demographic situation is not drastically different from that of other industrialized nations. Koffler remarked that the new initiatives align with past efforts to foster a larger workforce and mitigate the effects of a shrinking population.
The UN projects that Russia’s population, which currently stands at approximately 140.8 million, could decrease by 10 million by the year 2054. The United States Census Bureau indicates that the current fertility rate in Russia is about 1.5 children per woman, well below the estimated replacement rate of 2.1 needed to maintain its population levels.
Original article source: Russia pushes sex-at-work scheme as population crisis escalates
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