Number of fathers on childcare leave in Russian region hits record high

More fathers in the Tula region are claiming childcare leave than ever before, with numbers for the first quarter of 2026 already surpassing the total for the previous year. Between January and March, 1,390 men were granted childcare benefits. This exceeds the 1,377 men who received the payments across the entire year of 2025. Consequently, the share of men among all benefit recipients in the region rose from approximately 13% last year to nearly 20% in the first three months of 2026. The spike in numbers is partly linked to legal changes introduced in 2024. Parents can now apply for childcare leave and benefits while simultaneously returning to work early or switching to a remote format without losing their payments. This suggests the data tracks those who have filed the paperwork rather than those staying exclusively at home.