Introduction

Teenage motherhood as a consequence of early marriage was widespread in Russia during the 20th century. The interest in the phenomenon of adolescent motherhood appeared in the early 1990s, at a time of considerable increase in teenage birth rates. However, by the early 2000s young people's fertility rates dropped to the level observed in the 1970s. How can we interpret these changes? Do they represent a reaction to reforms in the welfare system? Are they the result of the erosion of traditional marriage and family values and rising individualism among the young generation? Indeed, changing family formation patterns reflect new lifestyles and aspirations of young generations. This chapter first analyses statistical trends in young people’s reproductive behaviour since 1965. Second, the reasons for these changes in teenage reproductive behaviour are identified. Third, the role of various political actors in the emergence of competing policy discourses in relation to teenage sex and sexual health is analysed. Fourth, the chapter provides an assessment of the various initiatives relating to young people's sexual and reproductive rights. And finally the chapter discusses current and future directions in the politics of teenage reproductive behaviour in Russia.

Statistical trends

For several decades, from the mid-1960s to the early 1990s, Russia experienced a steady increase in adolescent birth rates. The birth rate among 15- to 19-year-old girls more than doubled from 23 births per 1,000 girls in the mid-1960s to 56 births per 1,000 girls in 1990. The teenage birth rates increased significantly between 1980 and the early 1990s (see Table 9.1).

Young mothers’ birth rates approached those of 20- to 24-yearold women. By the early 1990s, teenage birth rates began to exceed that of 30- to 34-year-old mothers. Since 1995 adolescent fertility rates have sharply declined. The age-specific fertility rate for 15- to 19-year-old women decreased from 45.6 per 1,000 in 1995 to 28.4 per 1,000 in 2002. The contribution of teenagers to the total fertility rate (TFR) dropped from 16.9% in 1995 to 10.7% in 2002. By contrast, the proportion of older mothers increased. In 2004, lowest fertility rates among teenagers were observed in Moscow (15. 6 per 1,000) and Saint Petersburg (15.4 per 1,000).