Ukrainian women deserve monuments, says Anatoly Amelin.

Ukrainian women deserve monuments, and I say this as a father who spent the day with his little one. In reality, they need significant support!

My wife, a businesswoman, was a commercial director at a development company before her maternity leave. She built her career, rising from a sales manager.

After giving birth, she consciously took maternity leave and is dedicated to our son 24/7.

She gets tired and doesn’t get enough sleep, but she lovingly and patiently attends to the needs of both the child and the man.

Being a mom is the toughest job in a 24/7 mode:

• there are no job descriptions
• there's no preparation school
• there's no chance to catch up on sleep
• meals on the go
• showering, using the toilet, and other needs on the run
• your little boss is very unpredictable and picky!

Our women who chose to give birth in Ukraine, especially during wartime, are heroines.

Government officials can only throw around empty statements about demographic issues, the return of Ukrainians (because we are few), and the need to give birth. But what does a woman who decides to have a child receive?

• career stagnation
• increased expenses and decreased income
• a handout from the government of 800 UAH per month, which isn’t even enough for diapers
• 24/7 workload
• health burdens
• and some even face difficulties in their families

Today I spent almost the entire day with the child (which honestly doesn’t happen very often)

• in the morning, when the baby woke up, I took him from mom so she could get some rest
• then we went out to eat, visited the market to prepare for the holiday evenings
• I took a walk with the baby (mother went out for errands)
• after the walk, I fed him and put him to sleep
• in the evening, I bathed him and handed him over to mom for the night

My back is killing me! And that was just part of the day spent with the little one.

Regarding the burden on the family budget.

Several years ago, Yulia Samaeva conducted research for the Ukrainian Institute for the Future and we calculated that raising a child from birth to 18 years costs at least $100,000 on average in Ukraine.

In Kyiv and regional centers, this figure is 2 to 5 times higher. This is a tremendous contribution to the economy of the country and the region due to consumption.

But how many Ukrainians can afford this?

Ukraine has "zero" incentives for Ukrainians to reproduce.

In contrast, our northern adversary has numerous programs, starting from substantial amounts of "maternity capital," continuing with genuinely preferential mortgages, and culminating in extensive support for young families.

In short.

I appeal to all current and future politicians. If they indeed act in favor of Ukrainians.

I demand that women who give birth to children:

• have their work experience preserved
• continue to receive salaries funded by taxpayers at least at the average salary level in their region
• have access to free daycare from 8 AM to 8 PM
• receive payment for nannies (if the woman returns to work and her taxes exceed the average monthly salary in the region)
• have pensions calculated similarly to civil servants (I believe mothers contribute more benefit than many officials)
• have access to modern free full-day schools
• receive health insurance for mothers and children.

Otherwise, the number of those crazy enough to give birth in Ukraine will decrease every year. Read, draw conclusions, and spread the word!