Large family in Russia: how many children are there and what age are they?

Raising even one child, investing a lot of effort and money in his upbringing and education, is always difficult. Therefore, large families need special care from the state, and therefore norms are established that help the family obtain a special status. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to determine what kind of family can be considered a large family - how many children should there be in it and what age in order for parents to be able to count on benefits, privileges or rewards that should be provided within the framework of Russia's demographic policy.

A look from the outside and from the inside

The complexity and multifaceted nature of the problem of today's large family is unlikely to be denied by both supporters of such families and their critics. Without pretending to be comprehensive, let’s try to analyze the real difficulties and the advantages that emerge in the lives of families with three or more children. Let us also pay attention to the attitude of the so-called public opinion to the same problems, which in itself becomes another serious problem for large families, since, despite the obvious demographic crisis, a large family today is a reason for discussion, and not always friendly. We will present to the reader both positions - “for” and “against” - and try to form an objective attitude towards this issue.

Old question

True stories: Russians named the ideal number of children in a family

Demographers do not expect a rapid increase in the birth rate, despite government support measures

“This topic has been discussed for a very long time in the large community, and attempts to bring it to the top have been made before,” says Sergei Mashaev, chairman of the RME “Big Family” (Mari El). — In particular, [Federal Council speaker Valentina] Matvienko already voiced it, probably a year ago.

President of the ManyMama Foundation Alina Kontareva recalls that the idea of ​​such a law was proposed back in 2014 by the head of the supervisory board of the Institute of Demography, Migration and Regional Development, Yuri Krupnov. A bill was even prepared then, but for seven years the issue was never resolved.

The chairman of the regional public organization “Association of Large Families of the City of Moscow” Natalya Karpovich also says that this idea is already about 10 years old - and it’s good that it is now voiced at the highest level.

It's time to decide_6

Photo: TASS/Valery Matytsin

“It is important that the approach to large families be uniform - and it should come from a federal source,” Karpovich told Izvestia.

According to experts, the problem of the lack of a common understanding of large families in Russia has not been resolved for too long.

Tax credit: property tax for large families proposed to be reduced

With an increase in benefits, some families will be completely exempt from payments

“The state is afraid that families will become dependent on it,” says Kontareva. — But here I can note that our fund works with 130 thousand families, and 0.05% of them are dependent. It all depends on how you build relationships.

In addition, she notes, each region is now based on its own funding and its own tasks. He cites Ulyanovsk as an example, where the attitude towards large families is at a very high level, because the governor was dealing with this issue. In the end, according to Kontareva, it all comes down to the desire or unwillingness of the head of the region to provide assistance.

Large family in modern living conditions

Position "for"

When discussing this topic, supporters of large families most often cite the example of the patriarchal Russian family. Indeed, at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, families in Russia, as a rule, had many children. The religion and customs of that time supported such a family structure. Refusing to have children or terminating a pregnancy was a grave sin: “Whoever does not have children lives in sin.” The peasants were not educated about the issues of artificial termination of pregnancy, they did not perform abortions, and they did not know contraceptives. Childbearing age lasted for Russian women until 42-47 years. Mothers breastfed their babies for “two Lents,” and the intervals between births were about the same. A woman who lived married throughout her childbearing period gave birth 8-11 times. In Russia, a strong and large family, a high birth rate and population growth were the key to the country's well-being.

Position "against"

Proponents of a different point of view believe that modern living conditions and that stage of economic development in Russia, which coincided with the childbearing age of a modern woman, and the economic unpredictability of the level of family income force a more responsible approach to the issue of planning the number of children. At the same time, in their opinion, the question of the real demographic crisis that has begun should be addressed to the government, and not to ordinary citizens, for whom the focus on material stability in life does not yet coincide with the focus on having many children.

Conclusion . Naturally, the modern focus on having few children gradually reduces the social value of motherhood, and the instability of economic life only aggravates this process, despite the existence and revival of the tradition.

Order and medal of “Parental Glory”: what is it and how to get it?

In accordance with the law, a large family can be awarded the “Parental Glory” award. What is the Order and Medal of “Parental Glory” and what are they for?

Order of "Parental Glory"

The Order of Parental Glory is awarded to families raising 7 or more children. Children must have citizenship of the Russian Federation. Along with the presentation of this order, a one-time payment of 100 thousand rubles is required . The award can be received regardless of the status of the family (can be awarded to both full and partial families).

The medal can only be received after the fourth child reaches 4 years of age. This number also includes adopted children, but at least 5 years must have passed from the date of adoption.

Medal of "Parental Glory"

The medal is awarded to families raising (or adopting) 4 or more children.

Material wealth and number of children in the family

Position "for"

Contrary to popular belief, money is far from the main problem in a large family. Often those who deliberately give birth to many children have a realistic idea of ​​how they will support these children. Most often these are successful, established professionals, representatives of the “middle class,” or poor but deeply religious people who believe that God, having sent them a child, will give him food.

On the other hand, everyone has a different level of ideas about material well-being: for some it’s a villa on the Cote d’Azur, for others it’s their own small apartment. Today you can always earn money for normal food and education for your children, if you want.

Position "against"

The “favorite” argument of supporters of a small family is the following: first you need to get at least one child on his feet, and for this you need funds and conditions. The material standard of living of families with 5 or 6 children is below average: children wear things out after each other, there are clearly not enough toys, and when they get older, there will be a problem with entering a university. What to do in this case? Reassure yourself that the family will be friendly, that the children will be independent and will not grow up to be selfish? Isn’t it better to give your strength to one or two children?

Conclusion . An analysis of the living conditions of families showed: the better the material and housing conditions, the more often the intention is to have one child. An inverse relationship between the number of children and family income has also been revealed: the number of children desired under the most favorable conditions is lower in families with higher incomes. Unfavorable conditions, low financial status, and lack of necessary living space reduce the likelihood of having another child. Moreover, the expected increase in low income does not affect the reproductive attitude. The reproductive attitude of the family is associated with the spouses’ subjective assessment of their financial situation. It is interesting that in the wealthiest families, a third of spouses (more often husbands) consider material conditions to be poor and regard this as an obstacle to having a child. And families where the income is low and already have one or two children, but whose financial situation is significantly lower than in wealthy families, assess their financial situation as sufficient. Thus, no matter what the family income, satisfaction with it may vary. To a large extent, it is determined by the place of material wealth in the family’s value system. Those. children seem to come into competition with the satisfaction of the material needs of their parents. If material needs are high, then the child cannot withstand the competition.

Social authorities helping large families

The main body providing assistance to large families is considered to be the social assistance service. Employees of this service are obliged to help their subjects obtain the benefits they are entitled to.

They are the link between the family and the following organizations:

• employment (priority employment, free retraining courses);
• education (implementation of benefits for children, organization of their recreation, additional education);
• legal services (free consultations);
• healthcare (sanatorium treatment, discounted medications, priority service);
• trade (information about sales, implementation of benefits for the purchase of children's goods);
• executive power (assistance in opening a small business, improving housing conditions, allocating land plots).

Thus, the lives of all members of large families are always in the field of view of social services. Here they not only provide financial assistance, but also help people find support in various public, government and commercial organizations.

The possibility of self-realization for a mother of many children in the professional sphere

Position "for"

The main purpose of a woman is to give life. This was given to her by nature itself, that is, she is biologically and emotionally attuned to motherhood. For true self-realization, a woman needs to give birth to 5-7 children, only then will she fully realize her potential. Bearing, giving birth, feeding, raising children require enormous energy from a woman - and if this energy turns out to be unspent, the woman begins to direct it in the wrong direction, she becomes dissatisfied with life, she loses her natural femininity and softness, becomes like a man and often becomes depressed, and in such a state there can be no talk of any self-realization.

Position "against"

Today the problem of women's self-realization is very relevant. This desire is largely provoked by modern social attitudes. But it is quite natural that a woman who devotes herself to work cannot manage to manage the household and take sufficient care of the child - one of these two important areas will still suffer. Therefore, many women get out of the situation by taking into the house an au pair, and for children, a nanny or governess (depending on the child’s age). This is a normal phenomenon, which also allows the child to value his mother more as a socially successful woman. But the combination of having many children and a successful career are two things that coincide only in very rare, simply exceptional cases.

Conclusion . In modern society, both the traditional point of view continues to exist, according to which a woman’s purpose is primarily motherhood and home, and the position according to which, in addition to children and home, in the life of a modern woman there are many other opportunities for realizing the potential inherent in her, hence all women’s priorities . Each woman chooses for herself what is closest to her. However, it is worth thinking about the statistics: today, approximately 25 women of childbearing age out of 100 do not intend to have children at all. This means that their instinct of motherhood is either lost due to the priority of other tasks (career, acquisition of material wealth), or is suppressed due to material difficulties, which is physically and morally detrimental to a woman’s health. This means that one fourth of the gene pool of the Russian nation is completely excluded from further development. 41 and 31 women out of 100 plan to give birth to one or two children, respectively. This once again proves that in our time there is a change in attitude from even a two-child family to a one-child family. It has been proven that the setting for the planned number of children practically does not change with a change in a woman’s marital status and associated changes in her social status (decrease in income per family member, deterioration in living conditions, food, etc.). It is a fairly stable characteristic, depending, apparently, to a greater extent on the national and economic characteristics of society.

How many children form a large family?

Oddly enough, at the federal level, legislation does not establish how many children a family consists of that can be given this special honorary status. Russia is a multinational country and different peoples have their own cultural characteristics. And when for residents of one region three children is so much, then for another, triplets are a completely familiar minimum.

Therefore, the government decided not to introduce a single formulation for the entire country, but to give the regions the authority to set the figure for the criterion for large families independently . This is stated in Decree of the Head of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 431 of May 5, 1992. Therefore, in order to know for sure whether your family can be recognized as having many children, it would be correct to refer to the legislation of the region of your residence.

In most Russian regions, as a rule, the presence of three children allows parents to be considered as having many children. At the same time, for example, in Ingushetia, a family is called large when at least 5 children grow up in it. More recently, in the republics of Mari El and Tyva, such a family had to consist of 4 children, but today this figure has also been reduced to the usual Russian quantitative indicators.

Raising children in a large family: pros and cons

Position "for"

People who have one child often complain that they are tired of communicating with him, of worries, etc. It seems to them that parents, for example, of five children should be five times more tired. But this is not true at all.

Firstly, elders can help parents: from the age of 5-6, a child is quite capable of taking care of a younger brother or sister 2-4 years old. Many adults get tired not so much from adult worries, but from the need to play with children; this is often psychologically difficult for parents, but in a family where there is only one child, there is no escape - the child needs to play with someone. And in a large family, the children are “closed” to each other: the older ones play with the younger ones, help them get dressed, do their homework, walk with them, freeing the mother from a lot of worries.

Secondly, children love to imitate. Moreover, psychologically it is much easier for them to imitate not adults, who are too difficult to reach, but older children. Therefore, in large families, the younger ones quickly acquire everyday skills, communication skills, and learn a lot on the fly, in between. A large family is a mini-society with its own internal laws: the child in it finds himself in the role of both the elder and the younger, he must establish contacts with each family member, communicate with children of both his own and the opposite sex, learn to give in and insist on your own, defend your opinion, show flexibility. With proper upbringing, children from large families have a more mobile psyche, are more resistant to stress and adapt better to any team. And responsibility and independence are a consequence of everyday problems that any family with more than two children faces.

Thirdly, instilling a sense of responsibility in children in large families occurs quite naturally, due to circumstances. Other families face very serious difficulties in this matter.

Fourthly, children from large families bear a much greater burden. But she - and this is very important - is justified in their eyes. In a family with one child, it is much easier for the mother to do everything herself, hence the child’s infantilism and inability to take care of himself. But in a large family, the mother needs serious help from the children, and the children are involved in household chores, and for them this is all psychologically justified and, in addition, joint activities bring the family together. In addition, the skills that a child acquires by helping his mother with housework will be useful to him in later life.

Fifthly, it is in a large family that there are all the necessary conditions for the continuity of generations. Children gradually develop communication skills with brothers and sisters, then older ones have their own children, and little uncles and aunts learn to communicate with nephews, the age difference with whom may not be so great. So children gradually, rising from step to step, grow into the role of parents themselves. In general, children from large families are better prepared for marriage. They understand the difference between male and female psychology, know how to compromise, are very responsible, boys do not shy away from “female” housework, and know how to care for babies.

In such conditions, the mistakes of the previous generation of parents are taken into account and therefore smoothed out. This does not happen in a family with one child, where parents do not have the opportunity to take into account their mistakes.

Sixthly, in a large family there is a small team effect. If there is one or two children in a family, then the children quickly become emotionally saturated with each other, parents have to invent something, put out quarrels and conflicts - and this is when they are tired and have other things to do. In a large family, a system of children of different ages arises: there is an age hierarchy in it, the elders supervise the younger ones. You just need to make sure that the elders do not oppress the younger ones.

Position "against"

Firstly, in a family with only 1-2 children, parents have the opportunity to be attentive to any childish manifestation and respond to it accordingly. In a large family, there is an almost constant impossibility of finding separate time to communicate with each child face to face, and children absolutely need the close attention of their parents for normal development.

Secondly, the amount of responsibility and household responsibilities a child in a large family bears can become a reason for children to subsequently reproach their parents for being “deprived of their childhood.”

Thirdly, the health of children and care for them in such families is insufficient. Each large family is a small team, and if, for example, one child gets sick, then the rest may get sick after him.

Fourthly, even in many families where there are one or two children, the children develop competitive relationships, they are jealous of their parents towards each other, what can we say then about a large family?

Fifthly, children from large families often have low self-esteem because they perceive themselves as part of a large team and think little about the value of their “I”. In adolescence, this can result in overcompensation: the child will begin to assert himself in all possible and impossible ways, proving his uniqueness and originality.

Sixth, even with a very large apartment in large families, both children and adults lack privacy, the opportunity to sit quietly, to be alone with their affairs and thoughts.

Conclusion .
Studies by demographers, psychologists and sociologists have shown a direct connection between the reproductive attitudes of parents and their children. There is a clear continuity in the question of the actual number of children: parents having one child, as a rule, manifested themselves in their children having one child, having two children gave rise to a transitional situation between having one child and having two children, and among children from large families (three or more children) there was the largest number of those who aspired to to three children. According to survey data from schoolchildren of different ages about the ideal, desired and expected number of children, a direct connection is observed: the more brothers and sisters schoolchildren have, the greater the expected number of their own children in the future, that is, they also strive for large families. As a result of this survey, another interesting pattern was revealed: the more children in the parental family, that is, the more brothers and sisters schoolchildren have, the later they begin to think about the number of their future children. This indicates moral satisfaction with one’s condition. And the fewer children there are in a parent’s family (especially if the child grows up alone in the family), the more often being in a children’s environment (in a kindergarten or school) and comparing the situation of one’s family with others leads to a certain discomfort. The only child in the family does not have enough partners for games and communication in the family, which leads to emotional distress.

Social program to support large families

Help may be provided differently in different regions. However, in general, large families receive the following benefits:

• exemption from certain types of taxes;
• extraordinary placement in preschool institutions;
• issuance of free school and sports uniforms (there may be compensation for the purchase of such clothing);
• free school meals;
• compensation for paying utility bills or purchasing heating equipment in homes with stove heating;
• free travel for children on public transport in their region;
• free use of the services of cultural institutions (once a month);
• issuance of interest-free loans for business development, construction, etc.;
• free allocation of land for commercial and construction activities;
• reduced land rental rates;
• purchasing building materials, cars and apartments at reduced prices;
• payments that compensate for the depreciation of money due to inflation;
• compensation for expenses related to the use of telephone communications;
• payment of additional benefits if there are 10 or more children in the family;
• additional payments when awarded the Order of Parental Glory.

In addition to the benefits listed, it is also possible to provide targeted assistance. Its size is set in each region separately.

How to get benefits

The main document that allows you to receive the benefits listed above is a certificate confirming the social status of the family. To receive benefits, you must contact those organizations that, for example, provide utility services, allocate land plots, etc.

To ensure benefits at school, you must contact the director of the educational institution or the department of public education of your territorial subordination.

To issue compensation, benefits and one-time payments, you should contact the social protection department. Preferential loans can be issued by banks as part of a special social partnership program for commercial and government structures. In this case, it is necessary to study all the conditions for loans, which are issued primarily in banks with state participation.

Attitude of public opinion towards large families

The social status of a woman-mother depends on how consistent the model of reproductive behavior chosen by her family is with generally accepted norms. What is it like today? One or two children. Naturally, as long as the generally accepted norm is such, large families will be perceived by society rather as an exception to the rule, as an out-of-the-ordinary phenomenon, and the attitude towards them will develop accordingly.

A zone of social disapproval, and even rejection, has arisen and still arises around mothers with many children and their children. Large families are often regarded as “social dependents,” although in practice their benefits are very modest; it is large families that have the highest risk of ending up among the poor, since the amount of child benefits does not correlate with the standard of living. Several years ago, the title of Mother Heroine was abolished in Russia. Often a large family and children are spoken of in a negative way: these are continuous problems, difficulties and troubles. It is unlikely that such an unambiguous point of view is fair: large families should not be idealized, just as one should not see only negative things in them. A large family is in itself neither good nor bad, it is simply a special world, with its pros and cons, its joys and problems, like the world of any family. According to the observations of psychologists and sociologists, the stereotype of a large family began to change just a few years ago. These are no longer just families of irresponsible, socially disadvantaged people who require support from the state. Having many children becomes fashionable in a financially prosperous environment. This means that large families have a future.

Konstantin Feofanov sociologist, candidate of social sciences n.

Benefits, payments and other benefits

Each region determines its own set of social support. This mainly depends on the birth rate. Thus, to increase the birth rate, local authorities are expanding the list of “basic” benefits. Some regions, on the contrary, try to adhere to “basic” benefits or have reduced amounts of social payments.

At the federal level, Decree of the President of the Russian Federation N 431 “On measures for social support of large families” (02/25/2003) defines a “basic”, minimum set of benefits:

• discounts on payment for state and municipal services
• subsidizing housing construction and the purchase of building materials by large families in the form of loans, subsidies and interest-free loans on preferential terms;
• benefits for compulsory pension insurance or state pension provision, allowing to improve the terms of provision and increase the size of the corresponding types of pensions.

How exactly these benefits will be implemented is specified by additional federal, regional and local regulations.

Read more about benefits, allowances, subsidies and other “goodies” in the articles “Benefits, rights and privileges of large families.”

Medical aspect

In Russia, according to legislative acts, families with three or more minor children are classified as large families.
According to the 1989 census, the share of such families was 5.74%. Since then, the number of large families in Russia has decreased from 2.7 million to 1.074 million. At the same time, families with 5 or more children make up 5.2% of the total number of “social units”, and families with 9 and more children - 0.1%. These figures indicate that being parents of many children is not easy. In addition to socio-economic and psychological problems, such families also face certain medical problems. Any parents raising more than 2 children should have an idea about them - only in this case will they be able to think in advance about how to protect themselves and their family.

What if parents with many children divorce or remarry?

Divorce of spouses undoubtedly raises many questions. But here everything is simple. If a family with three children leaves and, for example, one child remains with the father and two with the mother, the status of a large family is lost. And, obviously, if all children remain with one parent, this status does not change.

Spouses with many children have the right to be called again in the event of remarriage. Also, if one of the parents officially marries a person who, like himself, has minor children, then adopted children - stepsons and stepdaughters - are counted in the number of children of a family that, according to regional rules, can be recognized as having many children.

Problems related to children's health

A large family is a large team, so an urgent problem is the problem of infectious diseases, especially highly contagious ones, that is, those that are easy to become infected. Indeed, in addition to the fact that all family members communicate at home, as a rule, each child also attends a children's group - be it a kindergarten group, a school class or a development group. And first of all, such diseases, of course, include acute respiratory diseases (ARI) . That is, if one child in the team gets sick with a common cold, then there is a high probability that all members of the large family will sneeze and cough for a week, and lie in bed with a high temperature. Since not all children get sick at once, the period when one of the family members is unwell can last for several weeks. Solving the problem of acute respiratory infections in a large family is difficult, but you can try. And the cornerstone in its solution is prevention. To prevent acute respiratory diseases, hardening, taking multivitamins, and vaccination are important. It should be noted that vaccination is important not only for children, but also for adult family members, including the mother in anticipation of the next planned pregnancy.

In addition to respiratory diseases, there is a high probability of the spread of childhood infections . This problem is of particular importance for the mother, since, firstly, childhood infections are quite difficult for adults to tolerate, and secondly, by the time of an epidemic in the family of a particular childhood infection, the mother may be in a state of waiting for the next baby. Then the infectious disease will affect not only the health of the mother, but also the health of the unborn child; There may even be situations in which it will be necessary to terminate the pregnancy (for example, if the mother falls ill with rubella). In this regard, all children in a large family must be vaccinated in a timely manner. On the other hand, this problem also has its positive aspects. If one of the children gets sick with measles or chickenpox, then most likely all children will get sick. Thus, children will suffer all childhood infections at an early age, when these diseases are mild.

Infectious diseases that can infect all family members include intestinal infectious diseases . In order to protect your family from these infections, it is necessary to follow basic sanitary and hygienic rules. Ready-to-eat food should be covered with cling film or stored in a cupboard or refrigerator. It is necessary to use only freshly boiled water or artesian or factory-bottled mineral water. Children should wash their hands regularly; Toys, bicycles and other items brought from the street should also be washed with detergent.

To avoid the spread of any infectious diseases, a sick or suspected sick child must be isolated from other children until examined by a doctor. In cases where the fact of illness is established, the problem of isolating a sick child becomes especially acute. It is appropriate to note here that if it is not possible to place him in a separate room and provide proper care (separate dishes, care items, their timely and correct processing), then it is most advisable to agree to hospitalization, if offered. Thus, the baby will be treated under the supervision of doctors, and other children will have a better chance of avoiding the disease.

What does it cost us to build a house?

“Such a law should contain a certain backbone of measures guaranteed to all families with many children throughout the country,” says Kuznetsov. — You can take Decree 431 as a basis, select the most effective and important support measures there and ensure their implementation. All other support measures depend on the region.

Alina Kontareva believes that the law should eliminate the link between large families and the region. Now this is becoming a problem for many.

“Because of this, sometimes it is not possible to obtain a certificate of large families if family members are registered in different regions,” she said. - Or if one child was born in another city - for example, while the mother was on vacation. There was a situation in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk when, because of this, status was not given to a large family.

It's time to decide_2

Photo: TASS/Mikhail Japaridze

According to Kontareva, the law should also provide for the right of a large family to land or an apartment.

Say a word for the poor child: the state will help the children

The Federation Council and State Duma are considering important measures of state assistance to foster and single-parent families

“We need to work out a federal program to subsidize the improvement of living conditions for such families,” agrees Natalya Karpovich. She considers another important measure to be the need to fix at the federal level the amount of benefits that is paid for a child - for example, in the amount of the subsistence minimum or half the minimum wage.

“I believe that a single benefit should be, for example, 20 thousand rubles for the first child, 22 thousand for the next child, and so on,” said Karpovich. “This will protect the child not only in a large family. If his mother, raising him alone, lost her job, this 20 thousand benefit could keep the family afloat.

Anna Kuznetsova told Izvestia that the main issue that large families address to the Office of the Ombudsman for Children’s Rights is housing - this is also relevant for making decisions about the birth of further children.

“Therefore, all forms of support for preferential purchase of housing and improvement of living conditions should be welcomed and expanded as much as possible,” she said.

It's time to decide_3

Photo: TASS/Mikhail Japaridze

Broad qualifications: can Russia introduce additional criteria for the payment of benefits?

Now such requirements apply to support families with children from three to seven years old

Kontareva notes that her foundation is trying to help large families with housing, searching for various technologies that will make building a house or purchasing an apartment easier.

“This is very important,” she says. — During the pandemic, we won grants for psychological support for families with many children. I personally spoke with such mothers - some had seven children, and two adults were forced to huddle in a one-room apartment for several months. No matter what I tell such mothers, I understand that the only solution to the problem for her is to go to the next room, which she does not have, the opportunity to seat the children in different rooms.

The issue of housing, Kontareva notes, is generally global: budget apartments are simply not intended for families with many children: in a kitchen of 9 square meters. m difficult to accommodate a large family.

Maternal health problems

A mother in a large family spends a significant part of her time in a state of pregnancy or lactation. Each subsequent pregnancy of a mother with many children is subject to certain risks and complications. Fatigue, the inability to recover from birth to birth, especially if there were complications during previous pregnancies and births, leads to the fact that with each subsequent pregnancy the risk of complications increases, such as the threat of miscarriage, toxicosis, gestosis, improper attachment of the placenta, incorrect positions and fetal presentation, etc. Complications are also possible during the postpartum period: bleeding, difficulties in separating the placenta.

If a subsequent pregnancy occurs a short period of time after the first, then the woman is faced with the question of the possibility of continuing breastfeeding. No matter how much a mother would like to feed her older baby with breast milk, breastfeeding must be stopped. This is due to the fact that when the nipples are stimulated during feeding, the muscles of the uterus contract, which can lead to the threat of miscarriage. In addition, during pregnancy, the taste and composition of breast milk usually changes. The baby often refuses it himself. Therefore, you need to consult with your pediatrician about further feeding your baby.

At the same time, a mother with many children, as a rule, has extensive experience in breastfeeding, and she does not experience any particular difficulties in this regard.

Another problem that requires attention is the age of the mother, who already has several children. The third, fourth and subsequent births, as a rule, occur after 30-35 years of age. It also increases the likelihood of pregnancy complications and increases the risk of having children with a genetic pathology. In this regard, appropriate studies should be carried out during pregnancy: ultrasound at an expert level in the first trimester of pregnancy (the study must be carried out by a qualified specialist using the latest generation equipment), a study of blood parameters that suggest a genetic pathology of the fetus (AFP, hCG, estriol ).

Taking into account all these circumstances, a mother of many children should contact an antenatal clinic in a timely manner regarding her next pregnancy, follow the doctor’s visit schedule and all his recommendations as carefully as possible, without relying only on her experience.

Correct planning of time for certain tasks and distribution of responsibilities between family members can help solve many problems. Mom, despite her workload, should have some time every day to take care of herself and her health.

As you know, during pregnancy changes occur in all systems and organs. In order to ensure the pregnancy of the baby, the entire body works under greater stress than outside pregnancy; for example, with each pregnancy, varicose veins progress. Therefore, if there is a predisposition to certain diseases, including hypertension, kidney disease, in a mother with many children, pathology may begin to manifest itself at a relatively young age. This means that she needs to be doubly careful about her health.

However, there is also a positive effect of multiple pregnancies and a long lactation period on the body of a mother with many children. Thus, a multiparous woman is practically insured against cancer of the breast, uterus and ovaries. It is known that laughter, joy and good mood extend life expectancy. And a mother of many children has much more reasons to be happy than a mother of one child. After all, she rejoices at every first step, every first word, every “A” in her diary.

How can a large family confirm its status?

To obtain status and benefits, parents need to complete a number of actions. Before going to the necessary institutions, you need to check whether the composition of your family fits the definition of a large family in accordance with the norms of the given region. If you are convinced that you are right, then you need to prepare:

• certificate of family composition (form No. 9)
• passports of parents or guardians;
• marriage certificate;
• birth certificates of all children (if there are children over 14 years old, then their passports with copies will be needed);
• a copy of the court decision on adoption;
• agreement on guardianship or foster care of children.

This is the main package of documents. However, situations are different, so you need to prepare for the fact that social services that issue a certificate of family status with many children will require some other certificates and certificates.

This package is submitted to the social protection service of the corresponding territorial subordination. However, this can also be done through the government services portal.

Where to submit documents to obtain status?

Duration of consideration of an application for the status of a large family

The maximum period for consideration of an application is two weeks. After this, parents must be issued certificates for a large family or provide a reasoned refusal.

The validity period of the certificate is determined by regional regulations. Sometimes certificates are issued for a year. This is done in order to reduce the likelihood of abuse. For example, if during the year the parents divorced, two children remained to live with their mother, and two with their father, then in this case two families appear that have already lost their original status.

However, such caution by officials creates additional troubles for fathers and mothers who conscientiously maintain their family, which includes many children.

The renewal of the certificate must be monitored at all times. If it is not the first time it has been issued, then a copy of it must always be included in the submitted documents.

Medicine plus economics

The medical problems of a large family cannot be considered in isolation from socio-economic problems. Thus, it is no secret that large families can be divided into two types: families with a sufficient budget (unfortunately, they are a minority) and families with an insufficient budget. In the latter, the issue of proper nutrition is very relevant. And today no one doubts the fact that good nutrition is determined not so much by the energy value of food and not so much by the balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, but by the balance of vitamins and minerals.

Vitamins and minerals play a huge role in the body. Thus, they participate in the immune response, that is, they protect the body from viruses and microbes, participate in the regulation of cell growth and reproduction, and in the functioning of the nervous, endocrine, and reproductive systems. If there is a deficiency of vitamins and microelements, problems arise in the functioning of the entire body. Therefore, the problem of multivitamin deficiency and mineral deficiency is relevant for all family members - both for children and for parents. This is especially true for the mother, since her body, especially with a short interval between births, does not have time to recover. The only sure and simple way to solve this problem is to take multivitamin preparations for all family members.

Usually parents with many children cannot answer the question: “Why do you need so much?” You can hear words about faith, about the principles of education. But probably the closest answer to the truth is: “We just love children.” And it is important that this love be active: parents should not forget that the most precious thing - the health of their children - depends primarily on them.

Igor Gushchin obstetrician-gynecologist, candidate of medical sciences, deputy. Ch. doctor of the Moscow First Perinatal Center Article from the December issue of the magazine

A mother of many children retires early

For a woman who was once recognized as a mother of many children, there is a benefit for retiring before age 55. This period is determined by five years, but provided that at this time the woman has the required insurance experience.

There is one more condition - when retiring early, documents must be provided to the pension fund that confirm the fact that the woman raised three or more children until they reach the age of eight.

The right to early retirement also occurs if a woman has raised not only her own children, but also adopted children. In addition, you can retire at 50 years old if you are raising only adopted children. However, if parental rights are deprived, a woman loses all benefits, including pension benefits.

All-Russian public organization of members of large families

Which families are considered large?

Federal legislation does not define a large family. However, in accordance with Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 431 “On measures for social support of large families”, in each region executive authorities independently determine the categories of families that are classified as large and in need of additional social support, taking into account national and cultural characteristics in social economic and demographic development of the region and establish social support measures for large families.

Thus, all regions of the Russian Federation have adopted local laws on social support for this category of citizens, which can give different definitions and establish their own standards.

As a general rule, families with many children are recognized as families permanently residing in the region, including foster families, whose parents (guardians, trustees) have three or more children (natural, adopted, taken under guardianship (trusteeship), stepsons and stepdaughters ) under the age of 18 years or older, full-time students in educational institutions, regardless of their organizational and legal forms, until the end of their studies, but no more than until they reach the age of 23 years. In some regions, a family loses its status as a large family immediately after the eldest child reaches adulthood, regardless of whether he went to get an education or not. For example, in the Republic of Adygea, in accordance with the law of September 28, 1994 N 117-1 “On the protection of family, motherhood, paternity and childhood.”

What benefits are available to large families in Russia?

In accordance with Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 431 “On measures for social support of large families,” they have the right to:

• a discount of no less than 30% of the established fee for the use of heating, water, sewerage, gas and electricity, and for families living in houses that do not have central heating - from the cost of fuel purchased within the limits established for sale to the public in a given territories;
• free issuance of medications purchased according to doctor’s prescriptions for children under 6 years of age;
• free travel on intracity transport (tram, trolleybus, metro and city buses (except taxis), as well as on suburban and intradistrict buses for students of secondary schools;
• admission of children to preschool institutions in the first place;
• free meals (breakfasts and lunches) for students of general education and vocational educational institutions at the expense of general education funds and deductions from their production activities and other extra-budgetary contributions;
• free provision, in accordance with established standards, of a school uniform or a replacement set of children’s clothing for attending school classes, as well as sports uniforms for the entire period of children’s education in a comprehensive school at the expense of universal education funds or other extra-budgetary funds;
• one day a month for free admission to museums, cultural and recreational parks, as well as exhibitions;
• assistance to parents with many children who want to organize peasant (farm) households, small enterprises and other commercial structures, ensure the allocation of land plots for these purposes, as well as provide benefits for collecting land tax and rent in the form of full or partial exemption from tax for a certain period or lowering tax rates; provide gratuitous financial assistance or interest-free loans to reimburse expenses for the development of a peasant (farm) economy; provide for complete or partial exemption from payment of registration fees from individuals engaged in entrepreneurial activities;
• priority allocation of garden plots;
• provision of preferential loans, subsidies, interest-free loans for the purchase of building materials and housing construction;
• assistance in finding employment for parents with many children, the possibility of them working under flexible forms of work (part-time work, part-time work week, work from home, temporary work, etc.).

*However, despite the fact that paragraph 3 of this Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated May 5, 1992 No. 431 “On measures for social support of large families,” the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, together with the Ministry of Social Protection of the Population, was instructed to develop the procedure and conditions for reimbursement of expenses for the implementation of measures provided for by this Decree, the procedure for reimbursement of these expenses has not yet been developed, financing of the social support measures provided for by this regulatory act has not been assigned to the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

In accordance with the current legislation, the constituent entities of the Russian Federation have the right to adopt regulatory legal acts on social support for large families at their own expense, independently establishing the volume and types of social support measures.

Therefore, in almost all regions, this led to the fact that when determining the category of “large family” and the conditions under which the benefits provided for by the decree are provided, the regional governments of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation provided for the provision of social support measures only to large families recognized in the prescribed manner as low-income.

These circumstances cause justifiable indignation and numerous complaints from members of large families and require additional government regulation.

What privileges can large families have in the regions?

Depending on the region, large families, in addition to federal ones, receive the following regional benefits:

• free land plots;
• additional monthly allowance for the third child and subsequent children until they reach the age of three. The amount of the benefit corresponds to the regional subsistence minimum per child;
• benefits for payment of transport tax;
• early pension for a mother with many children (retirement at 50 years old, instead of 55);
• employment of parents with many children in flexible work schedules;
• training and retraining of parents taking into account the needs of the regional economy.

For example, in the Primorsky Territory, large families with an average per capita income below the subsistence level are provided with the following social support measures:

1) compensation payments in the amount of 30% of payment for utility costs, including for the maintenance of common property in an apartment building, including:

a) payment for cold and hot water, electricity, gas, wastewater disposal, calculated according to meter readings within the limits of consumption standards. In the absence of the specified metering devices, fees for utility services are calculated based on the standards for the consumption of utility services, approved in the manner established by the legislation of the Russian Federation;

b) fees for handling solid municipal waste within the limits of consumption standards;

c) payment for thermal energy, calculated based on the volume of consumed utilities, determined by meter readings, within the limits of consumption standards. In the absence of the specified metering devices, the payment for thermal energy is calculated based on the standards for the consumption of utility services, approved in the manner established by the legislation of the Russian Federation;

d) expenses for the purchase of household gas in cylinders, based on the price established by the executive body of the Primorsky Territory, authorized to carry out the functions of state regulation of tariffs (prices) for goods (services), for liquefied gas in cylinders with delivery to the consumer with a total weight of no more than 60 kg per year;

e) expenses for the purchase of solid fuel in the presence of stove heating and the absence of central heating within the limits established for sale to the population in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, at prices established by the executive body of the Primorsky Territory authorized to carry out the functions of state regulation of tariffs (prices) for goods (services), and taking into account the cost of transport services for the delivery of this fuel;

2) reimbursement of expenses for the purchase of medications according to doctor’s prescriptions for children under 6 years of age, but not more than 1060 rubles per year;)

3) reimbursement of travel expenses for students in general education organizations to the place of study on intracity transport, as well as on suburban and intradistrict buses, but not more than 1060 rubles per year;

4) reimbursement of expenses for visiting museums, cultural and recreation parks, as well as exhibitions, but not more than 212 rubles per year;

5) provision of one-time free ownership of land plots in accordance with the legislation of the Primorsky Territory;

6) priority right to obtain garden and vegetable plots;

7) priority provision of children from large families aged 6 to 16 years with places in specialized medical and sanatorium-type children's institutions, health camps and other health institutions if there are medical indications.

We recommend that you familiarize yourself with regional legislation on the problems of large families on the Families of Russia website here.

What benefit is paid at the birth of a third child?

In a number of regions, in 2021, the payment of monthly benefits for the birth of a third and subsequent child continues. This payment is monthly and is made until the child reaches the age of three.

The right to such a payment is given to children born from January 1, 2013 in those regions where the total fertility rate is lower than the average for Russia as a whole. Compared to previous periods, in 2021, only 50 constituent entities of the Russian Federation were included in this list (for example, in the Perm Territory, Omsk and Orenburg regions, this figure is higher in Russia as a whole).

The amount of the benefit corresponds to the regional subsistence minimum per child, which is calculated by the regions quarterly. Therefore, the amount of payments in 2021 will be equal to the subsistence minimum per child established in a specific constituent entity of Russia for the next quarter. This will be from approximately six thousand rubles per month (in regions where the cost of living is low) to 15 thousand rubles (where the cost of living is higher). The average payment amount across the country will be 9 thousand rubles.

Large families can count on the following payments:

Child birth benefit in 2021 is a one-time payment provided to one of the parents. When two or more children are born, this benefit is paid for each child. If the child was stillborn, no benefits are provided.

The amount of the benefit for the birth of a child from February 1, 2017 (after indexation by a coefficient of 1.054 ) amounted to 16,350.33 rubles. For the Far North, the benefit amount increases by the regional coefficient.

In 2017, child care benefits for children under 1.5 years of age are paid to persons who care for a child during the leave of the same name.

Please note that leave is provided until the child reaches three years of age, and benefits are paid only up to one and a half years. For the period from one and a half to three years, not an allowance is paid, but a monthly compensation in the amount of 50 rubles.

As a general rule, the amount of child care benefits is 40% of average earnings. In some cases, the payment is made in a fixed amount.

From February 1, 2021, taking into account the indexation by a factor of 1.07, the minimum amount of care allowance for the first child was 2,908.62 rubles, for the second and subsequent children - 5,817.24 rubles, and the maximum amount of care allowance was 11,634 ,50 rubles. The following are entitled to benefits in the specified amount:

• mothers dismissed during pregnancy due to the liquidation of the organization
• mothers, fathers, guardians, full-time students
• relatives caring for a child in the event of deprivation of parental rights to the mother and (or) father

Providing land plots to large families

In June 2011, Law No. 138 Federal Law was adopted, according to which large families could receive land plots free of charge for various purposes, including the construction of an individual house. The right to receive plots of land extended not only to citizens in a registered marriage, but also to single mothers (fathers) with three or more minor children, including adopted children, stepdaughters, and stepsons.

* However, from March 1, 2015, the above amendment to the Land Code lost force. Now the issue of conditions and procedures for providing large families with land are established at the regional level. Decisions of the authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation determine additional requirements for citizens in order to obtain land plots and the procedure for registering these persons as needing residential premises. Regional authorities also independently determine the size, location of land plots and other conditions for their provision. The minimum size of allocated land on average for the subjects is 6-10 acres, and the maximum is on average 15 acres. It should be taken into account that the possibility of providing plots within the city is not available in all regions. For example, in Moscow and St. Petersburg there is no such possibility, and a land plot can be allocated in the region. Therefore, large families can apply for the allocation of a free plot of land subject to the conditions specified by regional legislation.

Benefits for transport and land taxes

At the federal level, preferential categories of citizens for paying this tax have not been established. Accordingly, the determination of persons subject to tax exemption or those entitled to tax benefits belongs to the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. In order to find out whether your large family is entitled to benefits, you can either look at the regional legislation yourself, or contact the tax authority at your place of residence and get clarification. One way or another you will have to contact the tax authority: transport tax benefits are provided by the tax authority upon the application of the person who is entitled to them.

If the application is not submitted to the tax office, the transport tax benefit will not be provided.

Since the assignment of benefits is within the competence of the regions, they may be unequal in different constituent entities of the Russian Federation. For example: in Moscow, according to the provisions on transport tax , one of the parents has the right to a complete exemption from paying it for one vehicle registered with the family. At the same time, in the Kirov region, large families are given only a 50% transport tax benefit. That is, the terms of benefits may vary significantly in different regions. It is worth noting that adoptive parents, and in some cases, guardians, have the full right to these benefits provided to parents.

As for land tax , the situation is different. Despite the fact that at the federal level, in Chapter 31 of the Tax Code, certain categories of citizens entitled to benefits are prescribed, large families are not included in this list. The provisions on land tax and the list of additional categories of beneficiaries are adopted by regional authorities.

In other words, issues regarding transport and land tax benefits for large families are currently being resolved in approximately the same way. Therefore, to determine the right to tax benefits and receive them, it is necessary to proceed from regional legislation and contact the tax authorities at the place of residence.

Compensation payments

(using the example of Moscow, which has retained funding for all programs to support socially vulnerable residents):

Compensation payment for reimbursement of expenses due to increased cost of living:

- families with 3-4 children under 16 years of age (or up to 18 years of age if the child is studying in an educational institution) - 600 rubles for each child;

- with 5 or more children under 16 years of age (or up to 18 years of age if the child is studying in an educational institution) - 750 rubles for each child.

Compensation payment for the purchase of children's products:

- families with 5 or more minor children - 900 rubles for the whole family.

Monthly compensation payment to compensate for the increase in the cost of food: for children under 3 years old - 675 rubles.

Monthly compensation payment to reimburse the costs of paying for housing and utilities for large families:

— with 3–4 children - 522 rubles;

- with 5 or more children - 1044 rubles.

Monthly compensation payment for using a telephone for large families: until the youngest child reaches 16 (18) years of age - 230 rubles.

A monthly compensation payment for families with 10 or more children is paid for each child until he reaches 16 years of age (for full-time students - up to 23 years of age) - 750 rubles.

Compensation payment to mothers who gave birth to 10 or more children and receive a pension - 10,000 rubles. It is established from the month the pension was assigned, but not earlier than 6 months before the month in which the application was submitted.

Annual payments (benefits) for large families:

- with 10 children (or more) for International Family Day - 10,000 rubles. per family;

- with 10 children (or more) for Knowledge Day - 15,000 rubles per family.

Awarding parents with a medal or Order of Parental Glory and a one-time payment:

- family with 7 children or more - 100,000 rubles.

*However, despite the fact that this information was prepared on the basis of the current legislation as of the date of its publication, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the latest changes in regional legislation on the problems of large families in local governments or in the departments of labor and social protection of the population of your region.