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During his address at the Eurasian Women’s Forum in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin commended government initiatives aimed at assisting women in balancing their careers with roles within their families, emphasizing their importance as “the linchpin of a large family.” He humorously noted that Russian women seem adept at managing this dual role while remaining “beautiful, gentle, and charming.”
Putin’s remarks come amid a broader initiative by Russian officials to counter the country’s declining birth rate, which they are attempting to revive through appeals to national pride and the introduction of financial incentives aimed at encouraging family growth.
Currently, Russia’s fertility rate stands at around 1.4, significantly below the 2.1 replacement level required for population stability. Kremlin representatives have deemed this statistic as “catastrophic,” particularly alarming given the rising mortality rates among younger men due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Recently, a lawmaker remarked that just as Russia deemed it necessary to launch military operations in Ukraine, it now needs to commence a “special demographic operation” to secure its future.
The push to procreate
In various areas, new mothers who are full-time students may receive financial compensation, while Moscow’s health authorities are making strides to broaden free access to fertility assessments and treatments.
This demographic strategy aligns with Putin’s broader push for more traditional conservative values. To engage younger generations, an educational program catering to students in grades 5 through 9 has been introduced, aiming to foster positive perceptions of larger families as part of a state ideology promoting motherhood for the sake of the nation.
However, some women view this initiative as intrusive and troubling. Lada Shamardina, a journalist for the independent publication Medivestnik, expressed concern that even women who wish to expand their families find the messaging unsettling, stating that having children is a deeply personal choice.
Shamardina, now reporting from Istanbul after relocating post-invasion, continues to cover Russia’s efforts to encourage a baby boom, which also includes measures to restrict access to abortion.
Low birth rate
Data from Russia’s statistics agency, Rosstat, reveals a decrease in births, with 599,600 children recorded in the first half of 2024—down by 16,000 from the previous year and the lowest count since 1999.
Officials have long expressed concern regarding the birth statistics, but in recent months, lawmakers have made urgent proclamations about the necessity of increasing procreation rates. For instance, Yevgeny Shestopalov, health minister for Primorsky Krai, recently suggested that busy professionals could find time to “create offspring” during work breaks.
Following this, Zhanna Ryabtseva, a deputy in the State Duma, encouraged young adults, particularly those aged 18 and 19, to consider parenthood, asserting that student couples make the best families. In tandem, regions like Karelia and Chelyabinsk are initiating programs offering substantial lump-sum payments to full-time students under 25 who become new parents.
In Karelia, this financial incentive equates to approximately $1,500 Cdn, while in Chelyabinsk, the payout approaches $15,000 Cdn, intended for use on housing, education, or medical expenses.
Access to fertility testing
In a recent move, women aged 18 to 40 in Moscow began receiving referrals for fertility tests under a new city program. The tests assess levels of anti-Mullerian hormone in their blood, an indicator of ovarian reserve and overall reproductive health.
Women identified with low ovarian reserves may be provided with options for follow-up treatments, including egg freezing. While Shamardina recognizes the potential benefits of such testing for family planning, she’s noted that responses on social media were mixed, with some women receiving unsolicited invitations from health authorities raising concerns about privacy.
Critics expressed sentiments likening the program to state coercion, with one woman describing it as reminiscent of Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale, in which women are compelled to bear children for the ruling class. Shamardina stressed that a lack of trust in the government is prevalent among women in Russia, making personal issues like family planning sensitive subjects that many prefer to keep private.
A young woman in Moscow shared her discontent, feeling that the program’s implementation was intrusive despite its positive intentions. She suggested that the sensitive nature of family planning makes unsolicited governmental outreach feel like an invasion of personal space.
The politics of family values
While Russia’s fertility rate exceeds that of several Western nations, including Canada, where it is approximately 1.33, Putin has argued that the nation’s ethnic survival relies on women having two or more children. He has consistently advocated for larger families, encouraging the societal recognition of families considered “parental glory,” which involve those raising seven or more children.
In 2019, Lilia Syropyatova, who received the award alongside her husband for raising nine children, articulated that motherhood is a national duty, emphasizing the necessity of procreation for the state’s existence.
Putin reinstated the “Mother Heroine” honor in 2022, recognizing women who have ten or more children, reflecting a desire to promote certain family ideals reminiscent of earlier eras.
Demographer Alexey Raksha contends that the government’s approaches seem aimed at regressing societal norms, pointing to a major narrative shift that pressurizes women to have children at younger ages.
Questionable strategy
Raksha notes that various countries are striving to augment their birth rates; however, the strategies employed in “non-democratic states” like Russia carry distinct implications, often linking population growth directly to governmental power. While public campaigns may persist, Raksha expresses skepticism about their effectiveness given historical trends, particularly the sharp decline in births observed in the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union, which has resulted in fewer women of reproductive age today.
Source
www.cbc.ca