Demographic Problems in Russia : The Influence of "Mother Capital" as a Countermeasure to the Declining Birthrate

The population of Russia has been shrinking. Since 2006 strong countermeasures to the declining birthrate, including "mother capital" (e.g., big bonuses for the mothers who bear two or more children), have been implemented. This article demonstrates that these measures have exerted a considerable influence on the improvement of demographic trends in recent years, for example, the increase in the birthrate since 2007. In addition, this article shows that the present age structure of the population and the recent economic boom have contributed to demographic improvement. The favorable effects from these policies will probably continue for several years to come, but because of the small number of girls aged seven to eleven, there is a possibility that, in ten or fifteen years, when this generation reaches parenting age Russia's population will decrease sharply again.2KJ00006909679論文Articledepartmental bulletin pape