Russia is facing a significant demographic challenge, with a falling birth rate worsened by the war in Ukraine and the loss of hundreds of thousands of soldiers. In response, President Vladimir Putin and his loyalists are considering drastic measures to address the issue. One of the most controversial proposals is the creation of a “ministry of sex,” which would focus on boosting the country’s birth rate.
Nina Ostanina, a key Putin ally and chairwoman of the Russian parliament’s committee on family welfare, is reviewing a petition calling for the establishment of such a ministry. This proposal comes as Russia grapples with the consequences of the war, which has deeply affected the nation’s population.
Several unconventional ideas have been put forward to encourage more births. One suggestion is to turn off the internet and even the lights between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. to create an environment where couples are more likely to engage in sexual activity. Another proposal involves compensating stay-at-home mothers for their domestic labor by factoring it into their pension calculations.
Additionally, officials have discussed funding first dates for couples, offering up to 5,000 roubles (£40), and even subsidizing wedding nights in hotels with a financial contribution of up to 26,300 roubles (£208). These ideas reflect the government’s desperation to find ways to reverse the country’s demographic decline.
Regional governments have also introduced their own incentives to encourage childbirth. In Khabarovsk, female students aged 18 to 23 are promised £900 for having a child, while in Chelyabinsk, the reward for giving birth to a first child is as high as £8,500.
Russia Considers Drastic Measures, Including ‘Ministry of Sex,’ to Combat Declining Birth Rate Amid War Losses
Some local authorities have taken more extreme steps, such as a health minister in Chelyabinsk who suggested that Russians should engage in procreation during their work breaks, emphasizing the need to focus on having children. These proposals highlight the urgency with which Russia is trying to combat its demographic issues, though many are seen as impractical or intrusive.
In Moscow, the government has gone further, implementing intrusive measures that involve questioning women about their sexual and reproductive health. Female public sector workers have been required to fill out detailed questionnaires about their sexual history, contraceptive use, and reproductive health.
Those who refuse to answer the questions are then summoned for doctor’s appointments where the same queries are posed. These actions have sparked outrage among many women, who see them as an unwarranted intrusion into their private lives, but the government continues to frame these steps as necessary for the nation’s future.
Despite these extreme measures, the Kremlin refuses to acknowledge that the war’s destruction—resulting in the deaths of over 600,000 soldiers and the emigration of more than a million young Russians—is a key factor in the country’s declining birth rate. Instead, the Russian government is pushing policies that stress childbearing as the main priority for women, urging them to start families as soon as possible.
These efforts come at a time when Russia is facing its most significant demographic crisis in recent history, and the measures taken are viewed by some as an indication of the Kremlin’s unwillingness to confront the deeper issues causing the nation’s population to shrink.
