Women in the Russian town of Tarusa should wear short skirts in summer to help increase the country’s birth rate, a local politician has suggested. The remark comes amid national concerns over population decline in the country.
A lawmaker on the local council Evgeny Rudenko took to social media on Monday, claiming that local deputies “request that Tarusa women wear miniskirts more often on sunny days to boost Russia’s demographics.”
The comment triggered a wave of criticism online, forcing the MP from the Liberal Democratic Party to explain that good weather on that day prompted his “joke.” He went on to argue however that “short skirts lure young men, leading to marriage and children.”
Head of the State Duma Committee on Family, Women, and Children Nina Ostanina advised the deputy to focus on constituent issues rather than commenting on women’s attire.
Ostanina, along with the State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin have previously warned against initiatives that may be deemed “offensive,” after lawmakers floated ideas such as introducing a tax on childlessness, obliging employers to monitor birth rates among staff, or releasing female prisoners in exchange for childbirth.
Last year, birth rate in Russia declined to its lowest level since 1999, with a further decrease projected for the current year. The country’s population has also been shrinking in recent years, falling from 149 million in 1993 to 144 million in 2023.
To address the demographic challenge, the government has increased financial incentives for families with children, has promoted traditional family values and banned propaganda of “child-free lifestyle.”
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According to Russia’s statistics agency Rosstat, the birth rate in the country will begin to rise starting in 2028.
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