Last week, Lantratova turned to Labor Minister Anton Kotyakov with a proposal to introduce unpaid leave of up to five calendar days for grandparents after the birth of grandchildren, according to a corresponding letter provided by the deputy’s press service.

“In addition, I propose that the provision of days off for working grandparents should not be limited by the age of the child’s parents. Weekends should be given not only to young families, but to everyone where a child was born,” the deputy answered RIA Novosti’s question about whether this measure would be valid only for young families where the parents’ age does not exceed 35 years, or for everyone.

As Lantratova explained in her address to the minister, during this period maximum help and support from loved ones becomes critical for the family. She also noted that in Russia, traditionally, older relatives help younger family members, including in raising children: “According to the results of a study by the Ural Federal University, about 20% of grandparents work with their grandchildren extremely often – every day or during all working hours the days of their children; another 20% devote time to their grandchildren on weekends; 32% participate in their grandchildren’s lives less than once a week.”

“We do not propose to release schoolchildren and students. If necessary, they can agree with teachers about missing classes and work them out later. Therefore, the initiative concerns only working people and relatives, who, as a rule, are the main assistants in raising grandchildren – grandparents,” Lantratova also explained when asked by RIA Novosti whether there is a need to extend such a right to the brothers and sisters of newborns.