Abstract
This article deals with fertility concern in Russian and Finnish population policies. The article points out that some commonly known discourses are persistently used as arguments in fertility-related population policies. In Finland, these include, for instance, discourses on ageing nation and economic competitiveness. Russian policymakers use a crisis discourse that consists of three sub-discourses: demographic crisis, reproductive health in crisis and family crisis. The Russian government implements pronatalist population policies, whereas Finnish authorities hesitate to use the term population policy because of its emphasis on reproductive rights on the one hand, and the negative associations of population policy on the other. Russia has both population and family programs, as well as a new law with a speci? cally pronatalist emphasis. Conversely, Finland uses family policy as a tool of population policy.
Highlights
Both in Russian society.” (Russia) and Finland, government authorities have recently expressed explicit concern over decreasing population trends
According to the total fertility rate, Finland is a low-fertility country, whereas in Russia, total fertility has fallen to the lowest-low level – a situation that resembles the one in Eastern and Southern Europe
In Russia, the audience is expected to be familiar with the discourse of “demographic catastrophe”, “family crisis” and “reproductive health crisis”, while in Finland the discourse of “ageing nation” and the concept of the dependency ratio are employed as arguments for the fertility concern
Summary
Both in Russia and Finland, government authorities have recently expressed explicit concern over decreasing population trends. ”Compared with many European countries, the fertility rate in Finland is relatively high.” (Finland: Family Federation of Finland, Population Policy Program 2004) “A concern for the future wavers behind all thinking, and this must affect actual decisions.
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