A number of regions of Russia have introduced lump sum payments for pregnant underage schoolgirls. At the same time, the state promotes the "traditional family", although it is far from the most common in Russia.
In the Oryol and Kemerovo regions of Russia, pregnant schoolgirls from this year will be able to receive a lump sum payment of 100,000 rubles (about 1,100 euros), and in the Bryansk region - even 150,000 rubles. In a number of Russian regions, such measures were introduced earlier for pregnant students, and since this spring they have been expanded to also include pregnant schoolgirls. According to the governor of the Oryol region, Andrei Klychkov, such one-time benefits are currently paid in 40 Russian regions. However, the idea itself is causing serious controversy.
„When I gave birth, the real horror began“
"Alexandra* became pregnant at the age of 13. She told DW that the idea of the state giving one-time benefits is very bad: „These amounts may motivate girls to give birth, but they have no idea what expenses await them later: now you get 100 thousand rubles, but then you spend millions of rubles on food, clothes and other necessary things such as a crib, a stroller, etc. That's why she advises young girls not to be greedy for this money.
Alexandra is from Norilsk. At school she had a relationship with a boy her age: "When I found out I was pregnant, my boyfriend and I had already broken up. We had both done this stupid thing, but he continued his previous life - he went out with friends, went to school, and only I bore the responsibility". Alexandra was asked to leave high school, and other secondary schools refused to accept her. So she ended up in an educational center, where she was bullied.
"While I was pregnant, the boys just made fun of me. When I gave birth, the real horror began: the boys had decided that they could do anything with me: play dirty jokes, pinch me, drag me to the toilet - it was very offensive," she recalls.
According to Alexandra, being a young mother is "terribly difficult". She managed only thanks to the support of her parents, which is also rare in such cases: "At first, my mother looked after my baby in the morning, then I would come home from school and pick up my daughter, and my mother would go to work. Then my father started working night shifts so that he could look after the child in the morning," says Alexandra. “A one-time payment would probably not be superfluous for me, but it would end instantly“, adds the young Russian woman.
The state's deal with teenagers
Psychologist Maria Potudina calls the payments for pregnant schoolgirls “a very unfair deal”, which is aimed at vulnerable groups and benefits only the state. “Teenagers cannot assess the risks of early motherhood“, she told DW. “At the same time, they are offered a large sum of money. And while a 30-year-old man understands that he cannot raise a child with this money, a teenage girl may be tempted by the amount, considering that at this age girls have no financial experience and are still emotionally immature.
According to the psychologist, the most vulnerable are girls from low-income families or from troubled families: "In this case, the risk of domestic violence increases - the decision can be made under threat or pressure from parents. Adults with addictions may only be interested in money, and the girl may not have many opportunities to make an informed decision," Potudina points out.
Political scientist Dilya Gafurova told DV that pregnant schoolgirls are already under great pressure, especially in a society that constantly talks about some traditional values: "Young pregnant women already feel at a great disadvantage when they have to make a difficult decision. And, of course, it is influenced by parents, guardians and the environment. And in many cases, they say: "The state supports you, what else are you waiting for?". But these 100-150 thousand rubles are not that much money. With them, the state symbolically shows its support. However, it will not raise this child and cope with all the difficulties in the future.
The woman as a "tool" of the warring state
Gafurova sees these payments as a tool through which the state puts pressure on schoolgirls not to have an abortion. "Of course, this measure can also be perceived as encouraging. But instead of introducing sex education in schools or improving young people's awareness of sexual issues, we are potentially ruining the lives of young women," the political scientist points out.
"Every girl, every woman is a kind of reproductive tool – she gives birth to children for the state, which it can then send to war“, says Gafurova. According to her observations, in early 2010, the Russian authorities embarked on a course to rely on "traditional values" and "traditional family", consisting of a man, a woman and children.
According to Gafurova, the so-called "traditional values" and "traditional families" are not actually traditional at all for Russia, where one of the most common family models is that of single mothers with children. "But this course became more intense after the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. On the one hand, Russia is suffering heavy human losses and it is necessary to improve the demographic situation. On the other hand, propaganda replaces concepts and tries to oppose European values," says the political scientist.
There is no unequivocal support for the payments
The payments are also being debated in the State Duma. Olga Pilipenko from the Science and Higher Education Committee believes that pregnant schoolgirls should have the right to financial support from the state, "but it is important that the measure does not become an incentive for underage girls to give birth for the sake of these 100,000 rubles". On the other hand, the measure is correct because it can convince women in labor not to terminate their pregnancies, Pilipenko also says.
However, her colleague, deputy Nina Ostanina, has a different opinion - she is convinced that giving birth and raising a child is an unbearable burden for underage girls, so they should not be encouraged to give birth while they are at school. Ostanina, who heads the parliamentary Committee on the Protection of Family and Childhood, has sent an appeal to the Ministry of Labor to stop the introduction of such payments so as not to encourage early childbirth by minors. However, the Ministry claims that the money is paid to schoolgirls not to motivate them to give birth, but to support them in a difficult situation for them.
Russians' opinions on the issue are almost evenly divided, according to a survey by the state-run Center for Public Opinion Research (VTsIOM): 43% of respondents find the idea good, 40% hold the opposite view, and 13% have no opinion. The share of men who approve of the measure is higher than that of women. A total of 74% of Russians believe that it is unacceptable for children under the age of 18 to become mothers.
"There is no benefit to early pregnancy"
Alexandra is now 28 years old, married and has moved to live in the suburbs of Moscow. She works as a social media manager. After her first child, who is now 13, she also gave birth to a son, who is now 9. “I think that girls should not become mothers until the age of 20. I tell my daughter that early pregnancy is not useful, I also introduce my son into the topic. When he starts asking me more questions, I will show him a special explanatory video so that he is informed," says Alexandra. She also tells DW that "she is very committed to her marriage and family" and is even thinking about a third child.
* At her request, the editorial office is not publishing Alexandra's last name.