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Residents Of Ulyanovsk Russia Get Day Off Work To Have Sex
Tuesday September 11, 2007
CityNews.ca Staff

In Ontario, where work weeks are often torturously long and vacation days are few and far between, the thought of a government sanctioned day off to have sex seems utterly ridiculous. But residents of Ulyanovsk Russia have been given the green light to stay home from work on September 12th to make love. And there's even more to this remarkable story. Those whose efforts result in a baby nine months later will be rewarded with gifts ranging from money, to refrigerators and cars.

The officially named "Day of Conception" is part of Ulyanovsk Gov. Sergei Morozov's plan to help stem Russia's demographic crisis.

It's the third year in a row that the Volga River region, about 900 kilometres east of Moscow, has held the contest. The number of births has risen quite dramatically as a result.

"If there's a good, healthy atmosphere at home within the family, if the husband and wife both love each other and their child, they will be in good spirits and that will extend to the workplace," Morozov said.

"The leadership (of the country) is interested in the family," he added.

Russia's population dropped sharply following the 1991 Soviet collapse.