Russian Federation
Habarovsk, Khabarovsk, Russian Federation
This article examines the specifics of the legal protection of motherhood and childhood during the Great Patriotic War (hereinafter – WWII), when the Soviet state, despite the most difficult conditions of wartime, sought to preserve the labor and demographic potential of the country. The research is based on an analysis of the USSR normative legal acts, archival materials, memoir sources and statistical data. The article states what legal protection included: the provision of benefits to mothers with many children and single mothers, the expansion of maternity leave, the improvement of medical care, the organization of orphanages, nurseries and food outlets. Special attention was paid to protecting the health of women who worked at defense enterprises, as well as combating child homelessness and neglect. The state recognized maternal labor as an important contribution to victory, establishing honorary awards – orders and medals of motherhood. In conclusion, it is concluded that the system of legal and social support during the Second World War contributed to the preservation of human potential, strengthening the institution of the family and became the basis for the further development of social policy in the post-war period.
motherhood, childhood, family, the Great Patriotic War, legal protection, benefits, orphaned children
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