In Turkmenistan, having 8 kids will earn you $250

Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov hopes he has made an offer the women of his country can’t refuse. For the simple task of birthing eight or more children (yes, eight or more), women will receive a one-time bonus of $250. But wait! There’s more: They’ll also receive free dental care, free utilities, and free public transportation ...

Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov hopes he has made an offer the women of his country can't refuse. For the simple task of birthing eight or more children (yes, eight or more), women will receive a one-time bonus of $250.

Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov hopes he has made an offer the women of his country can’t refuse. For the simple task of birthing eight or more children (yes, eight or more), women will receive a one-time bonus of $250.

But wait! There’s more: They’ll also receive free dental care, free utilities, and free public transportation for life. With eight kids, free diapers or, better yet, a free vacation might be more appropriate.

Berdymukhammedov is partly correcting for the mistakes of his predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov, who, during his 15-year reign of insanity, renamed the months of the year, banned beards, and forced schools to exclusively teach the "spiritual guide" — the Ruhnama — that he’d written for citizens. Among Niyazov’s many other bright ideas were abolishing free healthcare, firing thousands of healthcare workers, and closing all hospitals outside of the country’s capital. As a result, child mortality in Turkmenistan has spiked dramatically in recent years, leaving the new president to offer what incentives he can to keep new generations of Turkmen coming.

Carolyn O'Hara is a senior editor at Foreign Policy.

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