Russia, Don't Fade Away

Alexander Griboyedov's hero Famusov (see Survival Russian) used to complain to the Creator about how tough it is to be "the father of a grown daughter." Tough it is.

But being the father of a grown son (which I also am) is hardly any easier in today's Russia. Rampant criminality and vagrancy, drug addiction among teens, a culture and secondary education that get second shrift ... What other dangers threatening the young generation need I mention to illustrate the hardship of parenthood in Mother Russia? Rising unemployment? Months long wage arrears? Bank failures and an unstable national currency?

Not exactly the type of situation ripe for a baby boom. So should we really wonder why our country’s population is shrinking by almost 1,000,000 per year, now at less than 147 million (see Note Book). As Alexander Solzhenitsyn justly put it, this loss is comparable to the human casualties suffered during a civil war.

So, with two kids, I seem to have fulfilled at least one civil duty. Almost. Demographers argue that two children are barely enough to assure simple reproduction. And a territory as vast as Mother Russia needs much more than simple replacement of the population. Count Leo Tolstoy, by the way, used to say that only three children are enough for a normal family. He himself was not only a prolific writer, but also a prolific father.

Then, for all the socio-economic difficulties we are living through, it can't be as bad with children as it was in, say, 1990, when I was taking the local, empty-shelved Universam by storm each morning, shouldering and elbowing my way through crowds just to pick up two liters of milk to feed our young son. We tend to forget these things way too fast.

Now, the food supply has improved considerably. And young parents no longer need to line up for diapers, baby food, baby carriages and what not. And even though the supply of money often falls short of the cost of food, people somehow are getting by, juggling many jobs and fighting the only deficit we are left with -- money.

Actually, those that are doing much better than “getting by” seem to be doing less than their “fair share” in supplying and raising Russia’s next generation. As feminism, birth control and other traits of a market-oriented society gradually take root here, having children takes a back seat in the plans of well-to-do couples -- behind apartments, cars, dachas and trips the Bahamas or Turkey.

If the shrinking population trend continues, even the seemingly inexhaustible flow of Russian tourists to summer destinations will decline by early next century. Demographers predict that the number of Russians could plummet to less than 100 million in the next millennium if the reproduction rate remains as low as it is now.

One might conclude that the state has to do something about this. In contrast to China’s oppressive “one child only” policy (which many Russians seem to have adopted voluntarily), Russia needs something to better incentivize families to have children.

However, in Russia, pinning all hopes on the state, if past experience is any guide, will bring no better results in our demographic situation. Russians need to think for themselves. Maybe a Tolstoyan birth-rate is not necessary, but at least simple maintenance of the population base is a must. After all (thank you, Creator) being Òfather of grownÓ daughters and sons is a great gift of nature which fills normal human beings with joy and happiness. And we can all always use a bit more of that.