Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –
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Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova spoke at the panel discussion "Family in Focus. How Culture and Media Can Help Solve the Demographic Issue" at the St. Petersburg International Forum of United Cultures. Other speakers at the panel discussion included Sergei Novikov, Head of the Presidential Directorate for Public Projects, Alexei Eremin, Deputy Plenipotentiary Representative of the President in the Central Federal District, Maria Zakharova, Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Wang Bin, a journalist from the People's Republic of China, Marina Kim, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications, and Priest Fyodor Lukyanov, Chairman of the Patriarchal Commission on Family Issues, Protection of Motherhood and Childhood. The panel discussion was moderated by Andrei Kondrashov, General Director of TASS.
As Tatyana Golikova noted, Russia is a country where the family has always been the indestructible foundation of society, the strength of spirit and the keeper of traditions. The more challenges there are in the modern world for the family in its traditional sense, the more serious attention should be paid to this topic not only by the state, but also by culture and the media.
The family is a fundamental social institution of particular strategic importance on which the future of the country depends.
The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that the state is doing a lot to ensure that the number of families with children grows, and that the number of large families increases. Today, having many children is becoming a real value in Russia – there are already 2.8 million large families in the country. Over the past two years, their number has increased by 17.4%, with 8.9 million children growing up in them.
Among families with four or more children, the happiness level reaches 66%, which is a very high figure. 80% of Russians are convinced that children give life a special meaning, 78% believe that children are a way to leave a legacy and pass on family traits, 75% note the important role of children in the emergence and preservation of family traditions.
At the same time, 40% of Russians want to have two children, 26% – three, 6% strive to have five or more children. 73% of citizens aim to preserve the family by finding compromises and do not allow divorce.
The strategic goal of society development is to increase the proportion of citizens who recognize family as the main value in life to 80% by 2030. Success in this largely depends on the media, which form values and public opinion at the level of emotional settings.
"Family is love, mutual understanding, support, a source of happiness and meaning in life, successful parenting that brings pleasure and joy, self-realization and experience. Only by joining forces can we create conditions in which family will truly become the main value for every person in our country. By demonstrating successful family models, a healthy attitude to parenting, and the positive experience of large families, we increase the value of the institution of family," said Tatyana Golikova.
She noted that today the image of a large family and, of course, a mother of many children is changing in the eyes of the public. A large family is associated with cohesion, responsibility, hard work, kindness, friendliness, and a mother of many children is associated with wisdom and happiness. And this is another aspect in which culture and media have a significant impact in strengthening traditional family values.
In addition, the role of the father in raising children and family life is changing, and involved fatherhood is becoming the norm. 71% of Russians believe that the father helps children grow up strong and successful.
The desire of young people to get on their feet – to build a career, get an education, buy a home – leads to postponing the creation of a family and having children.
"We are systematically building the state's social policy in such a way that the number of existing support measures removes most of the fears of future parents. A striking example of this is the growth in the number of student families, which indicates a positive trend. There are more than 25 thousand student families in Russia, of which 13 thousand families are already raising children," Tatyana Golikova emphasized.
The state offers a comprehensive system of support for families with children. All measures and programs of the national project "Family", which started on January 1, 2025, are aimed at building confidence in the future of each family. This is maternity capital, a single allowance, preferential housing programs, high-quality medicine for women and children, reproductive medical examination, free IVF, mother and child rooms in universities, assistance in finding or keeping a job, social payments.
At the same time, the development of cultural infrastructure continues within the framework of the national project "Family". The opportunity to spend leisure time with the whole family, get acquainted with the history and rich cultural heritage of the country, engage in creativity is a necessity for creating a strong and friendly family. In the coming years, 420 libraries will receive modern equipment, 100 theaters will be reconstructed, 255 museums will undergo modernization, 1200 cultural centers will receive a new life.
Tatyana Golikova noted the important task of culture and media – to convey family values, reduce anxiety and the feeling of “I can’t cope”, and show the supporting role of the state.
Last year, 20 films aimed at family audiences were released. Five of them grossed an impressive amount at the box office – more than a billion rubles. This speaks to the demand for family content in society.
In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that culture and mass media are responsible for the negative influence on viewers, the transmission of anti-family values, the popularization of a childless lifestyle, the distortion of traditional family roles and the formation of an incorrect idea of marriage.
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