Additional Coverage:
- Russian students can now get cash payments for having babies as Kremlin struggles with birth rate at ‘catastrophic’ lows (newsbreak.com)
Russian authorities are offering financial incentives to female college students who give birth to healthy babies. This move aims to address the country’s declining birth rate, which has reached a critically low point.
In the northwestern republic of Karelia, students under 25 who are full-time residents can receive up to $910 for giving birth. Other regions, such as Tomsk, have similar programs.
Russia’s federal government has also increased maternity payments for first-time and second-time mothers.
The government’s efforts to boost the birth rate stem from concerns about Russia’s ongoing demographic crisis. In the first half of 2024, the number of births hit a 25-year low.
President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine has further exacerbated the situation, leading to heavy casualties and a mass exodus of young Russians.
In addition to financial incentives, Russia has implemented other measures to encourage childbearing, such as restricting abortions and promoting traditional family values.
Some experts believe that Putin’s obsession with Russia’s shrinking population was a factor in his decision to invade Ukraine.