MOSCOW — Vladimir Putin, who has long cultivated an aura of machismo as Russia’s strongman leader, is enlisting women to grow Russia’s population through childbirth and to rebuild his nation as a great power steeped in traditional family values — a campaign that is eroding equal rights and protections, human rights advocates and Russian feminists say.
“Many of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers had seven or eight children, and maybe even more,” Putin declared to an audience of ultraconservative religious and political figures who had convened in the State Kremlin Palace in November. “We should preserve and revive these wonderful traditions.”
Putin, who spoke by video link from his office in Sochi in southern Russia, appeared on a massive screen flanked by two images of the “Icon of the Savior, Made-Without-Hands,” suggesting godlike status as he urged Russian women to give birth to very large families. Russian officials, echoing their leader, are telling women to start young — at 18.
As Putin seeks to restore Russia’s status as a superpower, his revanchist policies are rolling back women’s rights, Russian feminists say, with idealized roles fitted to the imperial era that predated communism. Women are being told to forgo education and careers to prioritize child-rearing, even as the war in Ukraine drains men from the workforce, creating critical labor shortages.
Russia’s low birth rate and relatively short life expectancies have caused consternation in the Kremlin for decades, and many other countries have similarly struggled with declining populations, seeking to encourage childbirth with more-generous social benefits. But Putin has set Russia apart by declaring the effort a matter of national security and tying it to the war in Ukraine.
I guess he expects this war to continue for another 20 years.
Wow, Putin’s plan sounds like it’s straight out of a historical reenactment. 🙄 Using women’s roles to bolster national pride while sidelining their rights? It’s like trying to rewind the clock on progress.
From a supposedly three day “military operation” to almost 3 years and now begging people to reproduce faster is a fantastically,incredibly and immensely small dick energy coming from little P man.
Wife we must make baby for glorious soviet empire
So many of their men are dead. Should they become 2nd, 3rd, and 4th wives or something to the men that are still, probably temporarily, alive?
Putin’s plan feels like a throwback to the past. let’s just hope we keep moving forward, not backward.
History repeats itself- at a certain point in time all citizens of a certain European country were called to arms.
Put it in for Putin.
Have it off for Vladolph
Men telling women what to do with their own bodies seems weird
Can this shithead die already
Yes, he’ll need more people to send to their deaths in 18 years.
Idiots keep thinking it’s a “feminism” problem when it’s more of a “we can’t fucking afford to raise children in these conditions” problem
F u macho man.
He probably looked up lebensborn and thought it was a good idea
Another time, another dictator:
>“The Führer is always right. Obey the Führer. The mother is the highest expression of womanhood. The soldier is the highest expression of manhood. God is not punishing us by this war, he is giving us the opportunity to prove whether we are worthy of our freedom.”
For a man who tries to hide from the more distasteful elements of his reign and promotes his machismo “man of the people” persona ….he’s got some ruddy nerve!
War machine demands more cannon fodder.
Hey, I’ve seen this one!
Warmongering dictators, wealth hoarding billionaires, and climate change deniers are a major reason why people don’t want children. Maybe sort your own shit out first, Putin, and stop making the world a worse place.
Need. More. Fodder.
Yes removing more people from your workforce fixes you short term labour problem that you created by starting a war. Raising kids is a lot of work and takes women out of the work force for several years when they have multipul children.
Russia is in big, big trouble as a country.
Before they invaded Ukraine, there were something like 8 million Russian men in their twenties. Now, with combat deaths and people fleeing the country to avoid the draft, that number is estimated around 6.5 million and dropping.
Putin has been such a disaster for Russia in so many different ways. I’m surprised he hasn’t fallen out of a window by now.
Kinda funny how 1970’s USSR propaganda is coming back to bite them in the ass.
Oooorrr . Get rid of the 3 foot tall tyrant ?
Making more cannon fodders to send into the meat grinder isn’t patriotism.
In 9 months Russians will be protected by brigades of gun wielding babies. They will be sent to the front lines and get medals for baby bravery.
It seems like most of the issues Russia has can be remedied by getting rid of one man.
“I’m throwing away a whole generation of Russians for a pointless war to satisfy my ego, so I need you to make more babies please.”
This is fake patriotism, russian patriotisms consists in hating other countries, and prove they’re the superior, because the don’t even acknowledge how bad is life in Russia
More meat to the grinder. He creates a generational catastrophe, then puts it on the woman to redeem the nation.
Fucking coward.
Great idea. If a women brings in enough cannon fodd…I mean brave russian patriots into this world, they should receive some kind of medal for their sacrifice to the motherland. I don’t know, something like [this one](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_of_Honour_of_the_German_Mother), maybe.
They need more beef for the grinder. This is where Project 2025 eventually takes us. “Make babies for strong war machine!”
As a German, I must say this sounds familiar….
I think I have my grandmas “Mutterkreuz” somewhere in the attic. She always told me that silly thing is the most worthless piece she owns.
“Make more babies we can send to their death for Emperor Putin.”
“Conservatives want live babies so they can have dead soldiers.”
~George Carlin
Sounds like MAGA Republicans…
Women are not broodmares and men are not cannon fodder for his bullshits wars.
Motherhood is every woman’s personal choice, not an obligation, no matter what. Women don’t owe him, this world or anyone any kid/kids. And men don’t owe him their lives for his stupid wars. Putin needs to be thrown in prison, for war crimes.
He threw away the dwindling youth of his country on this stupid war and then has the temerity to demand Russian women spend 18 years raising more sons so he can throw their lives away too. What a piece of work.
Paywall
Seems like something trump republicans would cheer on!
Have babies so that we can send their fathers off to die in a pointless war, and then send your babies off in 18 years. Putin’s big brain master plan.
Interesting growth plan to first kill 500.000+ men, and then pressure woman to raise babies.
45 comments
MOSCOW — Vladimir Putin, who has long cultivated an aura of machismo as Russia’s strongman leader, is enlisting women to grow Russia’s population through childbirth and to rebuild his nation as a great power steeped in traditional family values — a campaign that is eroding equal rights and protections, human rights advocates and Russian feminists say.
“Many of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers had seven or eight children, and maybe even more,” Putin declared to an audience of ultraconservative religious and political figures who had convened in the State Kremlin Palace in November. “We should preserve and revive these wonderful traditions.”
Putin, who spoke by video link from his office in Sochi in southern Russia, appeared on a massive screen flanked by two images of the “Icon of the Savior, Made-Without-Hands,” suggesting godlike status as he urged Russian women to give birth to very large families. Russian officials, echoing their leader, are telling women to start young — at 18.
As Putin seeks to restore Russia’s status as a superpower, his revanchist policies are rolling back women’s rights, Russian feminists say, with idealized roles fitted to the imperial era that predated communism. Women are being told to forgo education and careers to prioritize child-rearing, even as the war in Ukraine drains men from the workforce, creating critical labor shortages.
Russia’s low birth rate and relatively short life expectancies have caused consternation in the Kremlin for decades, and many other countries have similarly struggled with declining populations, seeking to encourage childbirth with more-generous social benefits. But Putin has set Russia apart by declaring the effort a matter of national security and tying it to the war in Ukraine.
Read more here: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/07/30/russia-putin-antifeminism-women-children-society/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/07/30/russia-putin-antifeminism-women-children-society/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com)
I guess he expects this war to continue for another 20 years.
Wow, Putin’s plan sounds like it’s straight out of a historical reenactment. 🙄 Using women’s roles to bolster national pride while sidelining their rights? It’s like trying to rewind the clock on progress.
From a supposedly three day “military operation” to almost 3 years and now begging people to reproduce faster is a fantastically,incredibly and immensely small dick energy coming from little P man.
Wife we must make baby for glorious soviet empire
So many of their men are dead. Should they become 2nd, 3rd, and 4th wives or something to the men that are still, probably temporarily, alive?
Putin’s plan feels like a throwback to the past. let’s just hope we keep moving forward, not backward.
History repeats itself- at a certain point in time all citizens of a certain European country were called to arms.
Put it in for Putin.
Have it off for Vladolph
Men telling women what to do with their own bodies seems weird
Can this shithead die already
Yes, he’ll need more people to send to their deaths in 18 years.
Idiots keep thinking it’s a “feminism” problem when it’s more of a “we can’t fucking afford to raise children in these conditions” problem
F u macho man.
He probably looked up lebensborn and thought it was a good idea
Another time, another dictator:
>“The Führer is always right. Obey the Führer. The mother is the highest expression of womanhood. The soldier is the highest expression of manhood. God is not punishing us by this war, he is giving us the opportunity to prove whether we are worthy of our freedom.”
For a man who tries to hide from the more distasteful elements of his reign and promotes his machismo “man of the people” persona ….he’s got some ruddy nerve!
War machine demands more cannon fodder.
Hey, I’ve seen this one!
Warmongering dictators, wealth hoarding billionaires, and climate change deniers are a major reason why people don’t want children. Maybe sort your own shit out first, Putin, and stop making the world a worse place.
Need. More. Fodder.
Yes removing more people from your workforce fixes you short term labour problem that you created by starting a war. Raising kids is a lot of work and takes women out of the work force for several years when they have multipul children.
Russia is in big, big trouble as a country.
Before they invaded Ukraine, there were something like 8 million Russian men in their twenties. Now, with combat deaths and people fleeing the country to avoid the draft, that number is estimated around 6.5 million and dropping.
Putin has been such a disaster for Russia in so many different ways. I’m surprised he hasn’t fallen out of a window by now.
Kinda funny how 1970’s USSR propaganda is coming back to bite them in the ass.
Oooorrr . Get rid of the 3 foot tall tyrant ?
Making more cannon fodders to send into the meat grinder isn’t patriotism.
In 9 months Russians will be protected by brigades of gun wielding babies. They will be sent to the front lines and get medals for baby bravery.
It seems like most of the issues Russia has can be remedied by getting rid of one man.
“I’m throwing away a whole generation of Russians for a pointless war to satisfy my ego, so I need you to make more babies please.”
This is fake patriotism, russian patriotisms consists in hating other countries, and prove they’re the superior, because the don’t even acknowledge how bad is life in Russia
More meat to the grinder.
He creates a generational catastrophe, then puts it on the woman to redeem the nation.
Fucking coward.
Great idea. If a women brings in enough cannon fodd…I mean brave russian patriots into this world, they should receive some kind of medal for their sacrifice to the motherland. I don’t know, something like [this one](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_of_Honour_of_the_German_Mother), maybe.
They need more beef for the grinder. This is where Project 2025 eventually takes us. “Make babies for strong war machine!”
As a German, I must say this sounds familiar….
I think I have my grandmas “Mutterkreuz” somewhere in the attic. She always told me that silly thing is the most worthless piece she owns.
“Make more babies we can send to their death for Emperor Putin.”
“Conservatives want live babies so they can have dead soldiers.”
~George Carlin
Sounds like MAGA Republicans…
Women are not broodmares and men are not cannon fodder for his bullshits wars.
Motherhood is every woman’s personal choice, not an obligation, no matter what. Women don’t owe him, this world or anyone any kid/kids. And men don’t owe him their lives for his stupid wars. Putin needs to be thrown in prison, for war crimes.
He threw away the dwindling youth of his country on this stupid war and then has the temerity to demand Russian women spend 18 years raising more sons so he can throw their lives away too. What a piece of work.
Paywall
Seems like something trump republicans would cheer on!
Have babies so that we can send their fathers off to die in a pointless war, and then send your babies off in 18 years. Putin’s big brain master plan.
Interesting growth plan to first kill 500.000+ men, and then pressure woman to raise babies.