When to make babies? Putin wants Russians to have sex during work breaks as country’s birth rate plummets

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly encouraged his people to engage in sexual activity during work breaks to address the country’s declining birth rate.

According to a Metro report, sex-at-work scheme comes as Russia’s fertility rate hovers around 1.5 children per woman, which is significantly below the 2.1 rate required for population stability.

The move also follows the emigration of over one million primarily younger Russians, who have left the country due to Putin’s ongoing war with Ukraine.

“The preservation of the Russian people is our highest national priority. The fate of Russia….depends on how many of us there will be. It is a question of national importance,” the Metro report quoted Putin as saying previously.

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Echoing Putin’s sentiments, Russian Health Minister Yevgeny Shestopalov said that being very busy at work is not a valid reason, but a lame excuse.

“You can engage in procreation during breaks, because life flies by too quickly,” Metro quoted him as saying.

When asked how people, who work for 12-14 hours, would have time to make babies, he replied, “During break times.”

Russia’s birth rate has plunged to its lowest since 1999, with June’s live births dropping below 100,000. This sharp decline has alarmed Moscow about a potential population crisis.

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Rosstat, Russia’s governmental statistics agency, reported a drop of 16,000 births from January to June 2024 compared to the same period last year.

The decline has further been exacerbated by an 18 per cent increase in population decline, with 49,000 more deaths recorded in 2024 than the previous year, likely due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

According to the Metro report, sex-at-work scheme is just one among the many demands made by the Kremlin to encourage people to have more babies.

The Kremlin’s efforts to boost the declining birth rate have led to a series of measures, including - women aged between 18 and 40 in Moscow are being told to attend free fertility checks to assess their ‘reproductive potential’; MP Tatyana Butskaya, 49, has drawn up a blueprint for employers to coerce women to have babies; Chelyabinsk region is offering 8,500 pounds to female students under 24 for their first child’s birth; Access to abortion across the country is being blocked as public figures and churchmen claim women’s duty is to give birth and raise children and fees for divorce have been increased to discourage separation.

Politician Anna Kuznetsova has urged women to start having children at a younger age, recommending they begin by 19 or 20 to increase the likelihood of having multiple children.

“Starting at 19 or 20 allows families to potentially have three, four, or more children,” she was quoted as saying.

MP Zhanna Ryabtseva echoed this sentiment, saying, “Give birth, give birth, and give birth again. You need to start having children at 18.”

There is speculation that Putin wants Russians to emulate his example of having a large number of children.

Meanwhile, Russia’s population is projected to drop from the current 144 million to 130 million or lower by 2050.

With inputs from agencies