Russia: Orthodox official proposes segregated education to reduce divorce
The Russian Orthodox Church has proposed reintroducing gender-segregated classes in schools to reduce cases of divorce
22.05.2025
Article published on the moscowtimes.ru website
The authorities should look to the example from the days of the Russian Empire and reintroduce segregated education for girls and boys to reduce instances of divorce, so says Priest Fyodor Lukyanov, Head of the Church’s Patriarchal Commission on Family Affairs.
Speaking at a legal forum in St Petersburg (as reported by RIA Novosti) Lukyanov said that “the modern-day education system does not instil any sense of responsibility in men. A return to traditional gender-segregated education would significantly reduce the number of divorces in Russia”.
According to the priest, there is a “major difference in development” between girls and boys after their transition to fifth grade which requires a different educational approach. “And co-education in high school means they may not see each other again after they graduate. Boys and girls go their separate ways, rehearsing their paths to future divorce”.
He added that modern-day schooling also “encourages deferred parenthood” and that the “vibrant expression of masculinity and femininity” in gender-segregated education would instead encourage young people to start a family immediately after graduation.
“Delayed parenthood is the cause of infantilism, divorce and child support arrears and is society’s payback for flawed educational policies. A return to a model based on the advantages of a traditional male and female education can restore young people’s interest in the institution of marriage and the culture of having large families”, said Lukyanov.
The priest was supported by Dmitry Aristov, Director of the Federal Bailiff Service, who himself graduated from the Suvorov Military School, having received a traditional cadet education. “I very much share the values of the Russian Orthodox Church. When a girl came to one of our formal balls, it really was an event and moulded a boy to treat family, marriage and children in a completely different way”, he said.
Gender-segregated education was practised in nearly all secondary schools during Tsarist times (boarding schools, gymnasiums etc.) and as an experiment in the USSR from 1943-1954. Segregated classes are very rare in modern-day Russia.
