Russia’s Pursuit of Repopulation: Abortion, Large Families, and Propaganda

Seminar
Series
Gender, Socialism, and Postsocialism Working Group
Event Format
In person
Address
S354, CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street

Russia’s shrinking population has been a central concern for the Russian President Vladimir Putin. In order to counter this demographic trend, he has introduced various measures such as restricting abortion, supporting families, and promoting “traditional values.” Many of his policies resemble Soviet pronatalist measures, but a striking departure is the attempt to make reproduction women’s destiny. This direction has accelerated since the beginning of the "special military operation" in February 2022. Through a comparative analysis of Soviet and post-Soviet pronatalist policies, this talk discusses the government's growing efforts to further restrict women's access to conventional and medical abortion, to renew the glorification of large families, and to promote anti-abortion and pronatalist propaganda.  

Sponsorship

Department of Women's and Gender Studies, MIT

Accessibility

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