Pumping Up the Numbers: Putin's Bizarre Plan to Boost Birth Rates
Published Sep 20, 2024 at 02:02 PM
Reading time: 2 minutes
Encourage Russian population growth by engaging in reproduction during work breaks, suggests Putin
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Looking to add a little spice to your workday routine? How about this - dust off those romance novels during your coffee breaks and get busy! That's right, folks, we're talking about Russia's latest and most bizarre plan to combat the nation's declining population: the "sex-at-work" initiative.
While the world has been struggling with a baby bust post-COVID-19, countries like Hungary, Italy, and Greece have tried their hand at financial incentives like monetary bonuses, tax breaks, loan forgiveness, and reduced childcare costs to encourage reproduction. But our favorite over-the-top leader, Vladimir Putin, has come up with something really unusual.
In a bold move to address this problem, Putin is reportedly backing a scheme that encourages workers to get a little frisky during their breaks. This "sex-at-work" initiative, part of a broader strategy to combat the country's baby bust, may sound far-fetched, but it's surprisingly not the first time we've heard such suggestions.
Russia's birth rate currently stands at around 1.5 children per woman, similar to China's 1.3 children per lifetime and Germany's 1.59 children per woman. President Putin has emphasized that bolstering Russia's population is of "the highest national priority" and that the country's future depends on it:
While the leader's decision has been backed by the country's health minister, Dr Yevgeny Shestopalov, suggesting that workers can stack up the babies during work hours has more to do with addressing time constraints than the actual reasons behind the population decline. After all, there are people who work 12 to 14 hours - when do they make babies? Dr Shestopalov's response: During break time!
But let's be honest - lack of time to make babies isn't exactly what's causing the rapid population decline. The ongoing war in Ukraine, mandatory military conscription for male citizens, a recession, rampant inflation, and poor day-care provision, among other factors, are contributing to a serious lack of libido.
Countries like China have tried addressing the situation by improving maternity leave, workplace protections, and disposable income for families. However, some argue that these measures don't sufficiently address the root causes of the baby bust.
It seems we may see more questionable proposals as the world grapples with an aging population and right-wing anti-immigrant rhetoric gaining traction. After all, when your country's future hangs in the balance, you might just be willing to try anything!
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- While various governments have implemented financial incentives to address declining birth rates, Russia's unique approach, the sex-at-work initiative, aims to boost fertility rates by encouraging workers to conceive during their breaks, as part of a broader strategy to combat the population decline.
- Aside from political discussions on birth rates, concerns about health and wellness remain prevalent in the general news, with increasing attention being paid to the dangers of misinformation about birth control on social media platforms, such as TikTok.
