As part of a broad initiative to focus on its falling birth rates, Russia is reportedly considering to launch a new ministry, a “Ministry of Sex.” Russian authorities are exploring various policies to encourage family growth, with creative and unusual proposals aimed at boosting the country’s population, which has suffered sharp declines due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Why is Russia introducing these measures?
Facing a sharp drop in birth rates, Russia’s demographic crisis has become a serious issue. President Vladimir Putin and his allies have voiced concerns over the population decrease, which they say threatens the nation’s future workforce and stability. Russian publication Moskvich magazine reported that a petition by GlavPR agency raised the idea for the “ministry of sex,” that would help boost birthrate.
Nina Ostanina, a close ally of Putin and head of the Russian Parliament’s Committee on Family Protection, is reportedly reviewing a proposal to launch a Ministry of Sex to coordinate initiatives aimed at increasing birth rates.
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What are the unique initiatives proposed?
-One proposal involves cutting off internet and electricity between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. at night reducing distractions and helping couples spend more intimate time together.
-Additionally, the government has considered funding first dates for young couples, with a budget of up to 5,000 roubles, as a means to encourage romantic relationships that might lead to intimacy.
- The government also plans public funding for honeymoon hotel stays of new couples, with a value of up to 26,300 roubles. This proposal aims to provide incentives for couples to consider starting family planning at the earliest.
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-stay-at-home mothers may soon be compensated for housework, with these earnings contributing to their pensions, acknowledging the value of their domestic contributions.
-Yevgeny Shestopalov, a regional health minister, suggested that Russians use work breaks as an opportunity for “procreation,” urging, “You can engage in procreation during breaks because life flies by too quickly.”
Nina Ostanina, a close Putin ally and head of the Russian Parliament’s Committee on Family Protection, Paternity, Maternity, and Childhood, is currently reviewing the proposal to create a Ministry of Sex, according to The Mirror.
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Russian authorities question women on their sex lives
The efforts do not stop at these initiatives. In Moscow, officials are also collecting data on women’s reproductive health as part of efforts to encourage higher birth rates. Female public sector employees have been asked to complete detailed questionnaires asking women when they became sexually active, whether they use contraceptives, experiences with infertility or past pregnancies, and if they plan to have children in the coming year
Some women, frustrated by the personal nature of the questions, submitted blank forms but were later asked to provide their names. Women who declined to fill out the questionnaire were required to meet with state doctors to answer the questions in person. The questionnaire’s intrusive nature has sparked frustration, especially among staff at state-run institutions.
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Free fertility testing
Moscow has also launched a free fertility testing programme for women. It has attracted 20,000 participants so far.
“The first results based on the [initial] 20,000 batch suggest that, unfortunately, quite a significant number of women of different ages need to abandon all things important to them now—and get on with the main goal, the main goal of any woman, to [get pregnant and] become a mother,” Moscow’s deputy mayor Anastasia Rakova told The Mirror.
