Reducing the Gender Employment Gap in Hungary
In Hungary, women are much less likely than men to be in paid work. Despite recent policy reforms and employment increases for both men and women since the global financial crisis, the gender employment gap has widened over the past years. It is now at its highest point since the mid-1990s. A major reason for the persistent employment gap in Hungary is that most mothers with very young children take an extended period out of paid work following childbirth - often until the child is two or three years of age. Traditional family attitudes towards gender roles and caring for very young children play a role. In addition, access to and use of childcare services for very young children remains limited despite some improvements, and flexible working arrangements are not widespread. For Hungary, closing the gender employment gap responds to both gender equality and labour market issues. This report analyses recent reforms and explores potential policy actions in the areas of early childhood education and care, parental leave and flexible working arrangements, which could provide women - and especially mothers of very young children - with better access to paid work.
Early childhood education and care for children under age three in Hungary
This chapter examines the Hungarian system of early childhood education and care (ECEC), with a focus on services for children under age three. It analyses the enrolment of children in ECEC, central government’s financial support to ECEC as well as policy reforms introduced to increase the supply of places in Hungary. It also examines the regional variation in the availability of childcare and the causal effect of childcare on maternal employment in Hungary. It complements this analysis with an overview of key developments in ECEC in the context of COVID‑19. It then presents a selection of international practice in ECEC, focusing on the importance of public investment to ensure universal, affordable and accessible ECEC; flexibility in use and provision, and; earmarked provision and proportionate universalism. It also dedicates a section to employer-provided childcare and concludes with a number of takeaways on policy approaches on ECEC.
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