Go home and make a baby

[Cold Warrior]

Russians are urged to take the afternoon off, go home and make a baby
By Adrian Blomfield in Moscow


(Filed: 22/09/2006)



The governor of a Russian province gave workers an afternoon off and told them to go home and multiply in the most direct attempt yet by officials seeking to tackle the country's growing depopulation crisis.

Bureaucrats have been dreaming up ever more imaginative schemes to help reverse the trend ever since President Vladimir Putin identified Russia's demographic crisis – caused in part by soaring levels of alcoholism – as the country's biggest threat.

But few have been quite as blunt as Sergey Morozov, the governor of Ulyanovsk, a depressed region on the Volga.

In exchange for an afternoon of state-sponsored passion, his "Give birth to a patriot" campaign launched last week offers parents who give birth next year on June 12, Russia's Independence Day, a range of incentives from a fridge or washing machine to a four-wheel-drive vehicle, depending on how many children the couple already has.

The Kremlin is offering even more substantial inducements. In a state of the nation address in May that was redolent of the Soviet era, Mr Putin encouraged Russians to make more babies and promised to give £5,000 to every mother who gives birth to a second child.

It is unclear how many of Ulyankovsk's residents took up Mr Morozov's offer, but the governor is convinced that such strategies are essential if the decline is to be reversed. Russia's 142 million population is dwindling faster than any other on Earth with 793,000 more deaths than births in 2004, according to the Centre for Demography.
 

[beattledog]

Yes, there are many factors that are contributing to the fact  that there are more deaths than births.  The main one is the alcoholism among the males .    If the nation can decrease the amount of deaths in the older population, the population will stabilize.   Also, there needs to be an increase in reproduction of children amoung the younger population.   Do you think that because many of the woman are highly edcuated has contrbuted to the decline in the birth rate?

Beattledog

[Vaughn]

But few have been quite as blunt as Sergey Morozov, the governor of Ulyanovsk, a depressed region on the Volga.

In exchange for an afternoon of state-sponsored passion, his "Give birth to a patriot" campaign launched last week offers parents who give birth next year on June 12, Russia's Independence Day, a range of incentives from a fridge or washing machine to a four-wheel-drive vehicle, depending on how many children the couple already has.

I wonder how many Ulyanovsk couples will opt to
induce labor that day - just to capture that new
appliance?

[BillyB]

Abortion is high in Russia and no doubt contributing to the population decline. The Iron Curtain may have to go up again to keep people from leaving. An interesting thing is that Russians are emigrating back to Russia from other parts of the FSU for a better life but it's still not enough. There needs to be an increase "value" on having a baby for the population trend to reverse itself in Russia besides other FSU nations. The "value" I'm talking about is not receiving a new appliance or money, it's the valuing of family both by women and men. I would sure hate to learn I was brought into this world for a new toaster.

[viking]

I would suspect that the more afluent women/couples in the larger cities will understand that a monetary 'one shot' payment will never cover the cost of raising a child. But perhaps in the smaller villages, where that kind of money may last a bit longer, will go for the gusto. Not to mention the drunken husband who will convince his wife that they could use the money (for more vodka).

[Jack]

Hey Cold Warrior, always nice to hear from you.

I also heard that Russia was offering about the equilvant to $10,000 for every baby a woman had over one child.  In some interviews I saw of Moscow and St. Pete ladies they just laughed, said it would not be nearly enough to raise a child (where they lived).  But other women from smaller cities and villiages started adding this up, three, four children, $30,000, she could buy a very nice flat in her city and as such I expect many women might do this.

I had not heard this was a law yet but was only being discussed.

[BC]

http://www.russiatoday.ru/news/news/20717

Russia’s Minister for Health and Social Development, Tatyana Golikova, says the country is experiencing a baby boom after a decade-long drop in its national birthrate. Around 1.5 million babies were born in 2007 - 120,000 more than in 2006.

The current birthrate is now the highest in 25 years.