Belarusians heatedly debate whether child benefits should be tied to mother's earnings

Belarusian authorities are trying to understand how to save the country's demographic situation.

Alexander Lukashenka recently demanded that the government find a way to revive demographic processes. Officials proposed revising the approach to the size of child benefits. They are currently the same for everyone. The government, however, proposes tying the amount of benefits to the recipient's earnings.

At the same time, they promised: mothers of young children will not receive less than they do now.

But immediately they started talking about a possible maximum — which they propose to tie to the nominal accrued average salary of employees in Belarus (in June it was 3104 rubles).

It is not yet clear by what exact formula the payments will be calculated. Currently, in Belarus, the amount of child benefit for children under 3 years old is 35% of the average salary in the country (for the first child) and 40% (for the second and subsequent children). This August, these amounts are 1057.7 rubles and 1208.8 rubles, respectively.

If this specific formula is used, it turns out that the increase in payments will affect few women. Because, to receive the maximum 3.1 thousand rubles in benefits monthly, the mother's salary must be more than 9 thousand rubles.

It is likely that Belarusian officials will consider the experience of Belarus's neighboring countries. For example, in Russia, mothers receive 40% of their average salary over the previous two years — payments are made only until the child is 1.5 years old.

In Lithuania, a mother can choose how long she will take parental leave: if for 18 months — she will receive 60% of her salary, if for 24 months — 45% until the child is one year old and 30% from one to two years old.

It is not yet clear what specific path Belarus will choose, but active debates have already begun on social networks.

Most women are enthusiastic about the idea. They say it's logical that whoever earned more and paid more taxes will receive more.

"Why didn't they come up with this law when I was on maternity leave? I left a managerial position with a very good salary. I had to look for other additional opportunities to work during maternity leave to avoid a drop in income."

"Agreed, I work 2 jobs not to then receive money on par with those who just give birth."

"It's long overdue. And it's all fair. Whoever doesn't work should get the minimum. And those who work all their lives, deducting taxes, should receive according to their salary. Otherwise, it's completely unfair. I have to leave work for a minimum wage three times less. Why suddenly? And why should my child be on the same level as the child of a mother who lives on benefits? To each their own for what they studied and worked for. It's all correct."

"As for me, they are doing everything correctly. Why should a person with a higher salary limit themselves during maternity leave? Let them earn more, and that's right. What the state pays now is enough for us. By the way, we are a large family and my salary before maternity leave was 1100."

Opponents of the idea believe that tying benefits to the mother's income will lead to discrimination against children — because babies' needs are the same.

And the fact that someone earned less is not an indicator that the person was less useful to the country. For example, kindergarten teachers, school teachers, doctors, and nurses in Belarus do not earn much.

"You said 'in low-paid jobs' with such contempt. But someone has to do that work too. And these people may also want a family, children."

"There are women who work in kindergartens, hospitals, shops, factories, where their salary is not sky-high, but without these women, you will not get what you get on a daily basis at affordable prices. Let's say women refuse to work in a kindergarten — you will have to hire a nanny. That will be an expensive pleasure compared to a kindergarten. They don't pay the mother, they pay the child! So how is your child better than the child of a woman who had an average salary in the country?"

"Wait, I have a higher education, I work as a teacher, and my children, it turns out, are worse than others? Teachers' salaries are not very high and far from 3 thousand. I also think this is unfair."

"But I disagree, because it's unrealistic to earn much in the periphery."

"And now think, how is a child born to a cleaner worse than a child born to a deputy director? Or should the former eat less and have worse toys?"

Opponents respond: they say, the lives of children in families with different incomes will always differ. And after 3 years, a child whose mother returned to work with a salary of 900 rubles, and a child whose mother earns 6 thousand, will live very differently.

Some assume that the system of tying maternity benefits to salaries will encourage fathers to go on parental leave, because, as a rule, men in Belarusian families earn more.

Occasionally, opinions are voiced that it is impossible to motivate people to have more children with "maternity benefits." Because, if a husband and wife understand that their salaries are only enough for one child, then they will not have a second child under any circumstances. Three years of maternity leave will end, and a son or daughter will still need to be fed, clothed, and money saved for university studies.

"It's good to give birth, but how much money is needed to support a child until — let's be realistic — they get a diploma... I don't earn enough for more than one child."

During the discussion, many other problems emerged that do not contribute to improving the demographic situation in the country.

One of the most popular is the difficulty in resolving the housing issue: "I think many wouldn't mind having even a football team. The question is not only how to dress and feed them. The main question is where to live. Previously, apartments were given away for free, and now the cost of apartments is such that many simply cannot afford them."

Women complain about the problem with alimony. Because after a divorce, many fathers disappear somewhere beyond the horizon and either pay nothing for child support, or deliberately understate their income "on paper."

"How many children to have — the president interferes in the process, but in case of divorce, the woman is not protected at all. Children usually stay with her, alimony is minimal, property is split in half. He should interfere in this process! Let the property be divided into shares for the children, then the woman would at least be insured in some way."

They talk about the horrors Belarusian women face in maternity hospitals: "Medicine is at zero. What 'having more children'? You can count normal specialists on your fingers. The attitude towards women in labor in maternity hospitals is below par. Diagnosis is nonexistent, so many pathologies are missed. I gave birth to one, it survived, the child is healthy, and that's already a great achievement."

"I'm not having children because almost five years have passed, and I still have nightmares about the maternity hospital. The attitude towards women in labor is simply abysmal."

"I'm not having children due to the lack of my own housing and the attitude towards women in labor in maternity hospitals. Even more so due to the second point, because life is expensive."

Pension reform (when the retirement age in Belarus was significantly raised) also affected parents — because earlier generations could count on the help of grandmothers. Therefore, proposals are being made to reverse this situation: "Let grandmothers retire earlier so that mothers on maternity leave don't bend over backward, and there is help."

They also talk about how disrespectfully mothers are treated at work: "You have to beg to go on sick leave with a child, or to a morning performance."

"You come to work, as soon as they hear that you have 2 or 3 children, they immediately say: 'You'll be taking sick leaves, thank you, goodbye.' Unfair! How to give birth and where to work afterwards?!"

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