120px|thumb|right|Kazakh "Алтын алка" ("Golden pendant")

Mother Heroine () is an honorary title that was used in the Soviet Union, awarded for bearing and raising a large family. The state's intent was not only to honor such large families, but also to increase financial assistance for pregnant women, mothers of large families, and single mothers, and to promote an increased level of health in mother and child. The award was established in 1944 and continued to exist until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. On 15 August 2022 Vladimir Putin signed a presidential decree which revived the honorary title in Russia.

Award history

thumb|left|100px|USSR 1945 stamp

The honorary title "Mother Heroine" was established on 8 July 1944 by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet.

Award description

The honorary title "Mother Heroine" entitled the recipient to wear the Order "Mother Heroine", which was a gold star with silver straight rays between the arms forming an inverted pentagon; it was suspended by a silver-plated ring through the suspension loop to a metallic, red-enamelled scroll-shaped mount bearing the gilt relief inscription, "MOTHER HEROINE" ().

  • In Tajikistan, it was withdrawn in 1996 to discourage large families.
  • In Ukraine, it was cancelled upon independence but restored in 2001.
  • In Kazakhstan, mothers of 10 or more children have since 1995 been awarded the Altyn Alka (Алтын алка, "Golden pendant") and mothers of eight or nine children have received the Kumis Alka (Кумiс алка, "Silver pendant").

See also

  • List of awards honoring women
  • Orders, decorations, and medals of the Soviet Union
  • Order of Maternal Glory
  • Order of Parental Glory Russian Federation
  • Mother Heroine (Russia)
  • Mother Heroine (Albania)
  • Order of Mother, Belarus
  • Vietnamese Heroic Mother
  • Cross of Honour of the German Mother
  • Médaille de l'enfance et des familles
  • Altyn Alka
  • Kumis Alka
  • Family in the Soviet Union
  • Mother Heroine (Ukraine)

References

  • Орден "Мать-героиня" at Ordena i Medali SSSR
  • Legal Library of the USSR