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Soviet Union [USSR] Sex and Contraception
Soviet society in general did not approve of unmarried couples
living together but was somewhat more tolerant of occasional
premarital sexual relations. The lack of suitable contraceptive
devices, combined with rare public discussion about contraception,
led to a large number of unwanted pregnancies. Studies in Leningrad
have shown that 38 percent of all babies born in Leningrad in 1978
were conceived before marriage. A Soviet study revealed that the
number of children born out of wedlock in the Soviet Union amounted
to nearly 10 percent of all births, ranging from 22 percent in the
Estonian Republic to 3 percent in the Azerbaydzhan Republic. Courts
could order an unmarried father to pay child support if he lived
with the child's mother; otherwise, the law was not firm,
especially where proof of paternity was insufficient. No social
stigma was attached to illegitimate children, and unmarried women
received maternity benefits. Sex for sale--prostitution--however,
was illegal and punishable by law. The Soviet penal code severely
punished individuals running a brothel, pimping, or soliciting.
Although women were officially discouraged from having
abortions, they were legal and were the chief form of birth control
in the country. An estimated 8 million took place each year.
Abortions were free for working women and cost 2 to 5 rubles for
other women, depending on where they lived. Despite their
availability, an estimated 15 percent of all abortions in the
Soviet Union were illegally performed in private facilities. The
approximate ratio of abortions to live births was nearly three to
one.
In Muslim regions, the rate of abortion was much lower than in
the European part of the country, although the higher her status or
the more Russified the Muslim woman was, the more likely she was to
have an abortion. Ironically, in European areas the situation was
reversed; less educated couples were more likely to seek abortions
than better educated couples, who were likely to use effective
contraception.
Data as of May 1989
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