Latest Channel 4 News:
Row over Malaysian state's coins
'Four shot at abandoned mine shaft'
Rain fails to stop Moscow wildfires
Cancer blow for identical twins
Need for Afghan progress 'signs'

Mother Russia: prizes offered for babies

By Channel 4 News

Updated on 12 September 2010

A record number of Russian women have registered for the chance to win a fridge or a car, by falling pregnant today.  Kylie Morris discovers that more than a thousand women have signed up for the annual Day of Conception.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin kisses a baby on a recent trip; Russia is offering prizes to women who give brith on the Day of Conception (Image: Getty)

Five hundred miles east of Moscow, schools are closing in Ulyanovsk - the region best known as the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin.

Teachers say soon there will be no-one left to teach. Hence, the local authority's Day of Conception.  It is all part of a national push to increase Russia's falling birth rate.

Take today off to procreate - produce a baby on June 12th, Russia Day, and you are in the running for money, video cameras, televisions, even a fridge.

The public-health system is in disarray, mortality rates have increased and birth rates are declining. The average Russian male dies at 59 - extraordinarily low for an advanced economy.

Meanwhile, the birth rate in Russia is an average of 1.41 children for each woman in her child bearing years. In the UK, the birth rate is only slightly higher at 1.68, while in Italy and Spain it edges lower at 1.32. Taiwan wallows at the bottom of the list with just 1.15 children borne to each woman.

Send this article by email


Watch the Latest Channel 4 News

Watch Channel 4 News when you want

Latest World news

More News blogs

View RSS feed

Pakistan floods

A boy puts cream on in his face during the Pakistan floods (Reuters)

Powerful reports from Jonathan Miller inside Pakistan.

Fears over Taliban deal

image

Lindsey Hilsum reports on the cost of a Taliban deal.

Iran stoning reprieve

image

A campaign to save a woman from stoning wins her a reprieve.

Crisis as famine looms

image

The worst drought in memory grips Niger, Mali
and Chad.

Afghan civilian casualties

image

British compensation payments to Afghan victims "treble".

Amnesty award success

image

Channel 4 News wins Amnesty awards for Sri Lanka reports.

Tamil killings 'ordered'

image

Sri Lanka commander says killings were 'ordered from the top'.

Somalia aid probe

(Getty)

The UN finds corruption is diverting Somali food aid.

Twittering on

Start following Channel 4 News on Twitter today.

Click to launch.

Snowmail

Most watched

image

Find out which reports and videos are getting people clicking online.




Channel 4 © 2010. Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of external websites.