Russia is considering a range of unconventional measures to address its low fertility rate, including temporarily cutting off internet and electricity at night to encourage intimacy, paying subsidies to women, and providing financial incentives for couples to have children.
The proposals are part of a broader effort to boost the country’s birth rate, which has reached a 25-year low.
Measures to encourage childbirth include:
● No internet and light: Cutting off internet and electricity from 10 PM to 2 AM to encourage couples to be intimate;
● Incentives for mothers: Paying money to stay-at-home women who take care of their children, which can be included in their pension calculations;
● Pay for first dates: Providing a subsidy of up to 5,000 rubles for couples on their first date;
● Wedding night payment: Public funding of wedding nights in hotels for couples, with payments of up to 26,300 rubles,
● Subsidies for young mothers: Providing financial assistance to young mothers, with varying amounts depending on the region.
Some regions in Russia are offering significant incentives to encourage childbirth.
For example, in Khabarovsk, women aged 18-23 can receive a subsidy of nearly 100,000 rubles for giving birth; in Chelyabinsk, families can receive up to 919,052 rubles for having a firstborn child.
While the government’s efforts aim to address the demographic crisis, experts argue that these measures may not be effective in the long run.
They suggest that more substantial investments in family support, childcare infrastructure, and opportunities for women to balance work and motherhood are needed.