Russia is considering establishing a "ministry of sex" to tackle the country’s declining birth rate, Mirror reported. Nina Ostanina, 68, a President Vladimir Putin loyalist and chairwoman of the Russian Parliament’s Committee on Family Protection, Paternity, Maternity, and Childhood, is reviewing a petition advocating for such a ministry.
This initiative comes as Russian officials introduce various strategies to address Putin's call to reverse the country's demographic decline, worsened by the significant loss of lives due to the war in Ukraine, now nearing its three-year mark.
As reported by Moskvich magazine, a petition by GlavPR agency raised the idea for the "ministry of sex," which would spearhead birth rate initiatives.
Deputy mayor Anastasia Rakova, a known supporter of Putin, emphasised the urgency of procreation in line with Kremlin goals. "Everyone in the city knows that there is a special test which allows us to establish the fertility level of a woman, her ability to get pregnant," Rakova told Mirror, urging women to prioritise having children.
What are the proposed initiatives?
- One unusual proposal suggests turning off the Internet--and even the lights--between 10 pm and 2 am to encourage couples to engage in intimate activities, the Mirror report said.
- Another idea is for the state to pay stay-at-home mothers for housework, with these earnings contributing to their pension calculations. The government is also suggested to fund first dates up to 5,000 roubles (40 pounds) to promote relationships.
- In another proposal, public funds would cover wedding-night hotel stays for couples, up to a value of 26,300 roubles (208 pounds), to encourage pregnancies.
- While it’s unclear who initiated this scheme, various regions are implementing their own initiatives to motivate couples to have children. In Khabarovsk, female students aged 18 to 23 can receive 900 pounds for having a child, while in Chelyabinsk, the amount is 8,500 pounds for a first-born.
- Yevgeny Shestopalov, a regional health minister, even suggested that Russians use coffee and lunch breaks at work for "procreation," urging, "You can engage in procreation during breaks because life flies by too quickly."
Authorities probe women's personal lives
Meanwhile, in Moscow, authorities are probing into women’s personal lives to encourage higher birth rates. Female public sector workers have received detailed questionnaires about their sexual and reproductive health, hinting at a plan for broader data collection across Russia. Those who don’t respond must attend doctor’s appointments where the same questions are asked.
The questionnaire includes deeply personal questions, such as:
When did you begin sexual activity?
Do you use condoms or hormonal birth control?
Do you experience pain or bleeding during intercourse?
Have you experienced infertility or had pregnancies? If so, how many?
Do you have any children, or are you planning to have more within the next year?
Employees in state-run cultural institutions were reportedly frustrated at being asked to provide these details to their HR departments. Some workers submitted blank questionnaires but were later instructed to provide their names.
They were then required to attend interviews with state doctors to answer these questions in person. Separately, a free fertility testing program in Moscow has been taken up by 20,000 women to date.
