In the Russian Federation, they proposed to sharply increase maternity leave

In Russia, they called for an increase in maternity leave to increase the birth rate. Such a proposal is contained in an article authored by Alexander Larionov, a senior researcher at the INP RAS. Currently, the amount of child care allowance for up to 1.5 years is 40% of the average earnings. The minimum amount is 9 thousand rubles, and the maximum is 69 thousand rubles.

The right of the firstborn: parents with one child have become 23 times more likely to spend maternity capital

For what purposes is the certificate used and how is this support measure being abused

At the birth of a second child, the indicator should be raised to 60% of the average income and paid for 2.5 years, Alexander Larionov believes. And after the appearance of the third — up to 80%, extending up to three years. According to the VTsIOM report, 1.22 million children were born in Russia last year. This is 3.4% less than in 2023. The indicator has been falling for the last nine years.

A sharp increase in payments may lead to an increase in insurance premium rates, which is not possible under current conditions, says Igor Balynin, associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation. But extending paid parental leave would be useful, he believes.

The implementation of the measures may require from 5 to 15 billion rubles in the first 18 months, said independent expert Andrei Barkhota. And then — from 20 to 30 billion annually, taking into account the increasing interest in the program.

In July, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the current measures to support families were not enough to overcome the demographic decline, instructing them to work out additional ones.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

To continue childbirth: in the Russian Federation it was proposed to sharply increase maternity leave