Putin Urges Women to Work and Have a Family as Birth Rates Drop in Russia

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Amid Russia's ongoing population decline, President Vladimir Putin has made a strong appeal for women to embrace both professional careers and motherhood. Speaking at the fourth annual Eurasian Women’s Forum, Putin called on Russian women to help address the country's falling birth rates by having large families while continuing to participate in the workforce. According to a Kremlin transcript, the forum, which ran from September 18 to 20 in St. Petersburg, focused on women’s professional and humanitarian contributions.

 

“Russia is traditionally respectful of women," Putin said. "In this regard, our state policy relies on the National Strategy of Action in the Interests of Women.” He emphasized the state’s efforts to support women by creating an environment where they can be successful in their careers while also serving as "guardians of the hearth and lynchpins of large families with many children."

 

Putin highlighted the unique qualities he believes women bring to both motherhood and the workplace, stating that women can manage the dual roles because they are "beautiful, caring, and charming," adding that women "possess a secret that men are unable to fathom." He extended his best wishes for their success, noting it would benefit "peace, creation, and progress."

 

The appeal comes at a time when Russia's birth rate has reached its lowest level in 25 years, a trend exacerbated by rising death rates and significant emigration, particularly related to the ongoing war. Health Minister Yevgeny Shestopalov, earlier this week, made headlines by suggesting that Russians should take advantage of breaks at work to engage in procreation as a measure to combat the declining birth rate. "Life flies by too quickly," Shestopalov said, urging citizens to prioritize having children.

 

Putin’s comments are part of a broader effort by Russian authorities to reverse the nation’s demographic decline. During the forum, which reportedly hosted over 1,500 attendees from 126 countries, other politicians also weighed in on the issue. Member of Parliament Tatyana Butskaya suggested that employers evaluate the birth rates of female staff members, while fellow lawmakers Anna Kuznetsova and Zhanna Ryabtseva advocated for younger women to start families as early as 18 to 20 years old in order to maximize their fertility.

 

In addition to social pressure, the government has implemented financial incentives. In some regions, women are compensated for having children while still full-time students, and fertility testing programs have been expanded for women aged 18 to 40 in Moscow. This initiative follows a long history of government attempts to encourage higher birth rates, including the reintroduction of the "Mother Heroine" award last year, which offers a substantial monetary reward to families with ten or more children. The one-off payment is worth one million rubles, or approximately $16,000.

 

Despite these efforts, the nation’s population continues to decline. Russia’s Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) has projected that the country’s population could drop by as much as 15.4 million people by 2046. Currently, Russia has a population of 140.8 million, but the birth rate remains well below the replacement level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the average number of children per Russian woman stands at 1.5, far below the 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population. As Putin noted earlier this year, families need to have at least two children to ensure the survival of Russia’s ethnic groups, and three to promote population growth.

 

As the Kremlin continues to push for solutions to its demographic crisis, it is clear that both economic incentives and cultural expectations are being employed to encourage Russian women to take on the dual challenge of professional work and raising large families.

 

Credit: Newsweek 2024-09-23

 

 

 

 

[Tug]

They are obviously leery of raising a family in your Russia what did you expect?

[Danderman123]

Russia is suffering from a demographic crisis - birth rates are dropping, the war is taking hundreds of thousands of young men out of circulation, and there were mass deaths during COVID.

 

The fear is the high Muslim birth rate.

[scubascuba3]

He's running out of soldiers who would of otherwise got women up the duff.

 

Most countries with a low birth rate problem should be reducing income tax rate amongst other things to incentivize more children