Russia is encouraging millions to have sex at work to address rapidly tumbling birthrate

Alarmist politicians around the globe have started getting creative when it comes to birthrates, but this quirky suggestion might just take the cake.

Dozens of countries across the developed world are experiencing plummeting birthrates, leading countries to introduce wacky measures to encourage people to get busy.

Some countries, like Singapore, have tried getting everyone in the mood with quirky rap songs, while Italy has introduced its own national “fertility day” on September 22.

But as always, the Russians have tried to outdo them all.

In response to latest figures recorded in Russia, President Vladimir Putin has reportedly encouraged citizens to use their lunch breaks to bolster the nation’s declining population.

A so-called “sex-at-work” initiative has been launched as part of a broader strategy to address the issue, which currently stands at around 1.5 children per woman — well below the 2.1 rate needed to sustain population levels.

The issue has been exacerbated by the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has led over one million younger Russians to flee the country in fear of being sent to the front line.

Putin has stressed that boosting the birthrate is of “the highest national priority”, claiming that the survival and future of Russia are at stake.

“The fate of Russia … depends on how many of us there will be. It is a question of national importance,” the president said.

Health Minister Dr Yevgeny Shestopalov said being busy at work was no excuse for not pumping out children.

Russian Health Minister Dr Yevgeny Shestopalov said being busy at work was no excuse for not pumping out children.

“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,” Shestopalov said.

When asked by a reporter how people could realistically fit family planning into their busy workdays, he responded “during break times”.

The Kremlin has been actively encouraging larger families for years, with Russian women urged to attend free fertility checks to evaluate their reproductive potential.

In the same vein, MP Tatyana Butskaya claimed that large families are becoming a status symbol, urging employers to take note of how many children their employees have.

Meanwhile, other politicians have pushed for earlier motherhood, suggesting women should begin having children in their late teens.

Do it for Putin.

Recent data highlights the scale of the demographic challenge.

In the first six months of 2024, Russia recorded its lowest birth rate since 1999, with fewer than 100,000 births in June alone. According to Rosstat, the country’s official statistics service, 599,600 children were born in the first half of 2024 — a drop of 16,000 compared to the same period in 2023.

Russia is not alone in its declining birthrate phenomenon, with several other countries including, Thailand, Japan and South Korea, implementing measures to encourage their negative figures.

Earlier this year, experts in models out of Thailand forecast a population decrease from 66 million to 33 million in just 60 years.

The decline would result in the working-age population decreasing from 46 million to approximately 14 million, severely impacting both economic development and national security.

Members of pro-Kremlin group Starsheye Pokoleniye (Older Generation) rallying for higher birthrates in Russia, wearing vests with the slogan ‘Is anything wrong? Give birth!’

Much of the drop is from the younger generation’s reluctance to have children.

Several factors, including rampant inflation, have largely deterred the current generation from pursuing a traditional family life.

As a result, countries with declining birth rates will see their population age at an alarming rate, wreaking havoc on the economy as the number of working-age people thins out.

Annual births in Thailand have fallen below 500,000 from over 1 million in 197, while the fertility rate has dropped from 6.29 in 1970 to 1.08 in 2023, according to the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC).

NESDC forecasts suggest Thailand’s population will peak at 67.19 million in 2028, then decline to 67 million by 2033 and 66.18 million by 2037.

The percentage of the working-age population is expected to decrease from 66.1 per cent in 2017 to 56.8 per cent by 2037.

Meanwhile, the number of babies born in Japan last year fell to the lowest since records began in 1899, as the government warns the next six years to 2030 may be the country’s “last chance” to reverse the trend.

Births fell for the eighth straight year to a new record low of 758,631, a 5.1 per cent decline from 2022, marking the lowest number of births since Japan started collecting statistics 125 years ago, according to figures released by the Health and Welfare Ministry in February.

“People tend to get married and give births later in life, and in addition to this, the coronavirus may have affected marriages and births,” a health ministry official told The Japan Times.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said that the ongoing declining birthrate was at a “critical state”.

“The period over the next six years or so until 2030s, when the younger population will start declining rapidly, will be the last chance we may be able to reverse the trend,” he said.

“There is no time to waste.”

Originally published as Russia is encouraging millions to have sex at work to address rapidly tumbling birthrate