As the Russia-Ukraine War continues, more and more lives are being lost. Russia fears that its population is dwindling quickly as a result. So some of the smaller regions are making efforts to try to boost birth rates. Oryol, Russia, is now offering young women money as an incentive for getting pregnant and giving birth.
The region isn’t the only one doing this either. Some people are shocked at the idea of such an incentive, but the Oryol government is standing by its decision.
Oryol, which is in Russia’s central region, is reportedly the first in the country to offer financial incentives to schoolgirls who give birth, according to the Moscow Times. Governor Andrei Klychkov recently signed a decree expanding the program to school-age girls. It doesn’t specify what the exact minimum age is, or what women need to do to receive the payment.
Oryol initially joined 40 other regions in offering the financial incentive to university-aged women, and then later amended the offer to include school-age girls. The regions pledged to pay young Russian women the equivalent of $1,200 for having children. This new amendment to the program will last until 2027.
Klychkov’s decree has caused a lot of concern, and he addressed people’s comments, accusing them of sensationalizing his decision. He claims that the Labor Ministry has instructed regional governments to adopt this measure.
“As for my personal stance on this policy, it is important to recognize that young women in such situations often face difficult decisions,” he wrote on Telegram, per the Moscow Times. “Our responsibility, given the circumstances, is to provide support — helping them preserve the life of the child and safeguard the mother’s health.”
Nina Ostanina, head of the state Duma’s Committee on Family Protection, spoke with Russian news outlet Gazeta about the issue, Newsweek reported. “There is no need to encourage children to become parents at school. An educated parent will give their child dozens of times more, a dropout is unlikely to be able to give as much in education, [and] upbringing to their child as a parent who has received a full school and higher education,” she said.
She added “there is no need to encourage this.”
Currently, it’s unknown if other regions will adopt the lower age amendment. There is also no way to know how it will affect teen pregnancy rates.
According to the Moscow Times, Russia’s birth rate is the lowest it has been in 25 years. However, mortality rates are rising, especially as the war continues. In the Oryol region, the population has been shrinking for nearly 25 years. Currently, it is the country’s 23rd least populous region. Oryol has approximately 700,000 residents.
