MOSCOW—Amidst the rise of the 4B Movement, growing interest in female separatism, and womyn's disillusionment with motherhood, Russia has moved aggressively to codify "traditional family values" into law. This comes after several groups of male supremacists coordinated a global attack on female autonomy via message boards and private chats. Movements like "back to the kitchen" and "repeal the 19th" saw groups known as "incels" and "groypers" call for men all over the world to increase political activity in order to shift the political landscape toward more conservative infrastructure.
On Wednesday, November 20th, 2024, the State Duma unanimously passed legislation barring any "childfree" or radical Feminist "propaganda", stating that it promoted anti-state lifestyles.
State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin stated that; "Without children, there will be no country. This ideology of childlessness is a threat to our future. It is important to protect people, primarily the younger generation, from having the ideology of childlessness imposed on them on the internet, in the media, in movies, and in advertising. We must do everything so that the next generations grow up focused on traditional family values."
Elvira Aitulova, a member of the Duma and bill co-author stated; "It's an element of professional propaganda, part of a hybrid war aimed at population reduction. This is a strategic bill for the sake of a strong, productive, and healthy future. We are talking about protecting our children and our space from an ideology that is alien to us."
The "Traditional Values" reference (the foundation of the law) is based on Presidential Decree No. 809. It states that; "Traditional values are the moral precepts shaping Russian citizens worldview, handed down to them from one generation to another and forming the foundation of Russia's national civic identity... They include life, dignity, human rights, and freedoms, patriotism, citizenship, service to the fatherland, and responsibility for its fate and a strong family."
Despite these claims, Russia has failed to culturally or legislatively address issues like bride kidnapping (ala kachuu) which involves kidnapping and forcibly marrying off young girls. Russian Federal Law does not currently have any specific article criminalizing bride KIDNAPPING, and though the crime is often treated as abduction, local law enforcement rarely intervenes, treating it as a "family matter" or "local custom". Matters have escalated to a point where brides can be sold.
The law focuses heavily on criminalizing the promotion of a child-free lifestyle across all media platforms. Anything that could be considered the "dissemination of information" that promotes the conscious refusal to have children could have serious consequences. This includes posts, memes, or videos depicting life without children as a positive or attractive choice, movies or shows that portray childfree womyn as successful or happy, and any marketing that suggests a life without children is equally valuable to a life with children.
The fines are incredibly steep and are designed to silence citizen opposition, or even bankrupt entire companies or organizations. Private citizens can be expected to pay 400,000 ₽, public officials can be expected to pay 800,000 ₽, and organizations can be expected to pay 5,000,000 ₽. Travelers to Russia face unspecified fines, 15 days in jail, and deportation. Legal experts warn that this new legislation can be applied to older postings on social media, blog sites, advertisements, and television shows, even as far back as 10 years.
Free speech activists, critics, and radical Feminists in Russia argue that this new legislation effectively reduces the local female population to "reproductive vessels" for the state, and prioritizes the state's demographic needs over female agency and autonomy. The Russian government frames childfree living as a "Western hybrid war" intended to weaken Russia by lowering it's birthrate. However, Russia has failed to address or even acknowledge the basic needs of its female population.
Russian Feminists on the social media platform VK (VonKontakt—a Russian version of Facebook) are being forced to scrub their online content, curb their activities online, reduce communications, and delete their profiles entirely. Many womyn are calling the new laws "monstrous." One womin anonymously told the SSM Network that; "This law creates a hostile environment against womyn, and promotes heavily censoring of Feminists in an increasingly sexist atmosphere. Even discussing contraception or issues surrounding reproductive health could be misinterpreted as propaganda."
Interestingly enough, the Russian Orthodox Church secured an exemption for information about monasticism and vows of celibacy. This might offer some womyn hope if the seek to escape the birth machine, and at least maintain limited agency over their reproductive decisions and futures.
