A month ago, I visited my relatives in Russia. From the few TV programs I watched while there, it appeared that children are the number one issue on the Russian agenda. Yet, there seemed to be a cognitive dissonance between the declarations about the importance and the value of children and the fact that Russians are just not having them. Most women that decide to bring a child into the world, suffice themselves with one. Three children in a family are a rarity.
It is true that Russian women are an integral part of the workforce and that stay-at-home moms are almost unheard of in urban areas (except for the very rich of course). Getting childcare could also be tricky. (My cousin told me that in order to send her daughter to a day care center at the age of two, she had to sign up as soon as the baby was born, and it would probably take a bribe to really get in.) However, similar challenges exist in other countries as well without affecting demographics.
Culturally, Russians afford women with children special care. On one occasion, while traveling with two kids, I got in line for passport control at the Moscow airport. All of a sudden, a policeman approached and told us to follow him. After the initial shock, I found myself first in a very long line without anyone saying so much as a word. On my last trip (with a baby) I was directed to the business class pre-flight inspection track together with other families traveling with children. In all my travels in the US, Europe, and Israel I have never seen anything like it.
Still, Russia’s demographics are in such a bad shape that recently the government instituted a grant of $12,000 for the birth of each child starting with the second one. The money may be used for education, housing, medical expenses, and pension. Last and not least, Russian women enjoy a paid maternity leave of up to a year and a half.
(Watch this video of a Russian woman delivering ten full term babies. As you watch, pay attention to the “equipment” used in a Russian hospital. I’ve heard horror stories about Russian delivery rooms, but it’s hard to believe they are still so far behind.)
In contrast, American women get just 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave at best (some do not get any). Government assistance amounts to a $1,000 tax credit, which can only be enjoyed by families that reach the tax threshold. Similarly, in Israel, mothers make do with 3 months of paid leave and a tiny monthly stipend of less than $50 per child. Yet, this does not deter families from having numerous children.
This got me thinking. Do countries view children in terms of supply and demand? Is it possible that because both Israeli and American families are choosing to have children, our societies do not think it necessary to cater to families? Do people recognize the value of children only when there is a dearth of them?
What do you think?
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by leah_aharoni: Video: Russian woman delivers ten full term #babies – unbelievable http://ow.ly/ZKJT #russia #parenting #family…
I love your post and comments… but so much about that video seems exaggerated… do you think it’s for real? I wonder.
@Sarah, Thank you. At first, I also thought it was a joke, but it appeared in the news on Russian TV (still on the website of this channel).
You should understand that with the exception of exclusive private hospitals in central cities, medicine is fairly underdeveloped in Russia (and certainly in rural areas such as this). My uncle, who lives in Moscow and can afford the best of care there, still chooses to travel to Germany for all medical procedures (even annual check ups).
So it’s not all that odd for this woman not to have had her pregnancy monitored.
The olim who came to Israel almost 20 years ago had one or two kids, usually spread in age. They said they didn’t have the room, money, equipment for more. Frequently the grandparents cared for the kids.
Now there’s no unified USSR, so I guess each country handles it differently.
I remember getting put ahead on lines in the US and Israel in the days I had little kids.
For some reason, this doesn’t happen anymore.
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