In the Duma, lawmakers are weighing a bill that would establish a monthly salary for homemakers, set at roughly 19,329 rubles. The proposal would treat household duties as part of productive work experience. Yet Svetlana Bessarab, a member of the Duma’s Social Policy Committee, argues against approving the plan. Speaking to 360.RU, she warned that such a policy would deal a blow to the Russian economy.
The plan would grant salaries to homemakers, regardless of gender, and financing such payments would demand a substantial budget outlay that the country does not currently have.
“I am sure 99.9 percent of the initiative will not pass,” she said. “Because first of all, we do not have a fund for this, and the second would seriously harm the economy.”
If enacted, the measure could push more women toward home duties funded by the state, while readiness for workers in other sectors would shrink. Russia is already facing a labor shortage in the job market, and diverting more people to home tasks could worsen that situation.
The deputy questioned who would benefit from the policy, asking who would bear the financial burden and what the overall economic balance would look like.
Taxes, benefits and pensions rely on the wages of working Russians. Moving women into the paid homemaker sector would require about 70 billion rubles, a sum not provided in the current budget.
The bill envisions monthly payments to citizens who handle household tasks, including cleaning, cooking, child care for children older than 18 months, and care for elderly or disabled relatives, as well as shopping trips. Supporters argue that if funds are approved, families across the Russian Federation would begin receiving financial aid that would lift per-person income toward the national average for households with two earners.
A legal expert highlighted questions about retirement and social protection for homemakers, raising concerns about pension eligibility and how benefits would interact with existing programs.