(Moscow) – Russia is considering controversial measures, including the establishment of a “ministry of sex” and financial incentives, to address its declining birth rate, worsened by the war in Ukraine.
Russia is grappling with a concerning demographic crisis as its birth rate continues to plummet, exacerbated by the ongoing war in Ukraine. To combat this, the government is exploring a range of unconventional measures, including the controversial proposal of creating a “ministry of sex” to address the country’s declining population.
Nina Ostanina, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin and chairwoman of the Russian parliament’s Committee on Family Protection, is currently reviewing a petition for the creation of this ministry. The idea forms part of broader efforts to reverse Russia’s demographic decline, which has been worsened by the significant loss of life in the war and the overall impact on family structures.
In addition to this radical proposal, other initiatives include turning off the internet and dimming the lights between 10 PM and 2 AM in an attempt to encourage couples to engage in sexual activity. Further ideas suggest that the state should provide financial support for stay-at-home mothers, integrating their domestic labor into their pension plans. Another proposal is to offer financial incentives for romantic endeavors, including subsidizing first dates up to 5,000 rubles (roughly £40), and covering the cost of wedding nights for newlyweds to the tune of 26,300 rubles (about £208), in an attempt to encourage procreation.
Regional initiatives have also sprung up in response to the birth rate crisis. For example, in the Khabarovsk region, female students aged 18 to 23 are offered 900 pounds for having a child, while in Chelyabinsk, the incentive is even greater, with 8,500 pounds offered for the birth of a first child. Some officials have even gone so far as to suggest that procreation should be encouraged during work breaks, with one health official in Chelyabinsk encouraging people to take advantage of their coffee or lunch breaks to “engage in procreation.”
In Moscow, the government has taken a more invasive approach by requiring women in the public sector to complete intimate questionnaires about their sexual and reproductive health. These forms, which are not anonymized, contain a range of personal questions, such as when a woman first had sex, whether she uses birth control, and how many children she has or plans to have. Women who refuse to fill out the forms are reportedly compelled to attend medical appointments, where they are asked the same invasive questions.
Alongside these controversial questionnaires, the city is offering free fertility tests to women, with more than 20,000 tests already completed. Deputy Mayor Anastasia Rakova has stated that the results reveal a significant need for women to prioritize having children above all else, reflecting the government’s firm stance that increasing the birth rate should be the primary goal for women.
However, these measures fail to acknowledge the broader issues influencing Russia’s demographic decline. The trauma and loss of over 600,000 soldiers in the war, combined with the emigration of more than one million young Russians seeking to escape the conflict, have had a significant impact on family dynamics. These events have caused widespread uncertainty, making many reluctant to start or expand their families, yet the government continues to focus on policies aimed at increasing the birth rate without addressing the deeper societal and political causes of the decline.
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