Russia Struggles with Low Birth Rate
Childbirth Support Payment for Female University Students to Be Increased
"We Need to Support Future Mothers"
In Russia, which is grappling with low birth rates, the childbirth support payment for female university students who give birth is expected to be significantly increased. On the 23rd (local time), Yonhap News Agency cited TASS news agency reporting that "Anton Kotyakov, Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Russia, has prepared a bill to increase the childbirth support payment for female students attending universities, colleges, and graduate schools," adding that "it is planned to be submitted to the State Duma this spring."
Russia, which is struggling to address the low birthrate issue, is expected to significantly increase the childbirth support payment provided to female university students who give birth. The photo is for illustrative purposes and is not directly related. Photo by Getty Images
According to this bill, the support payment given to students who give birth will rise to 100% of the regional worker's living wage. For university and graduate students in Lipetsk and Tambov regions, where the living wage is low, the payment will be 74,867 rubles (approximately 1.07 million KRW), while in the Far East Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, it will be 235,424 rubles (approximately 3.35 million KRW). The average support payment is estimated to be 90,202 rubles (1.2836 million KRW). Considering that the amount previously paid in the form of scholarships ranged from 9,333 rubles (about 130,000 KRW) to 23,333 rubles (about 330,000 KRW), this represents an increase of up to 10 times.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a State Council meeting related to the Year of the Family last month and instructed to raise the childbirth allowance for female university and graduate students. At that time, President Putin said, "It is necessary to support the desire of young people to have children early," adding, "Women aged 28 to 29, the average age of giving birth to their first child, want to return to work to improve their professional skills, so they do not have the time to have a second child. Special attention needs to be paid to future mothers attending school." He was also reported to have emphasized at the government meeting that "demographic issues are the most essential and important problems in Russia."
Regarding this bill, Olga Zolotaryova of the Demographic Center at the Institute of Economic Strategies of the Russian Academy of Sciences said, "It could change not only the birth rate increase but also the trend of aging mothers." Olga Ziltsova, a professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, evaluated, "It can provide more comfortable conditions for student mothers and their babies," adding, "It can play an important role in the decision of economically unstable young women to continue their pregnancies."
Russia's total fertility rate declined from 1.8 in 2016 to 1.49 in 2021 and 1.42 in 2022. The Russian Federal State Statistics Service forecasted that the total fertility rate would drop to 1.32 by the end of last year. While the birth rate is decreasing, concerns about population decline are rising as war-related deaths increase.
Last year, as part of measures to address low birth rates, a bill was proposed to ban the promotion of the so-called "living without children movement." The bill includes prohibiting media such as films, advertisements, and documentaries from encouraging a child-free life. It aims to legally ban acts that promote family-free and child-free life as a more attractive lifestyle, but there has been criticism that this approach attempts to solve the problem in a controlling manner.
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