A survey of 427 women which focussed on attitudes and factors affecting decisions
concerning childcare leave (and a return to the workforce) was conducted in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg
County, Hungary in 2014. Previous studies have shown that Hungarian women raising
children are less employed (40%) compared to the EU28 average of 63%. In this empirical
study of Hungarian women with young children, two sub-groups were identified: those
who had returned to work following childcare leave, and those still on childcare leave.
Both groups preferred to be exclusively a mother for the first 3 years of the child's
life. Those still on childcare leave plan to return to work 6 months later than those
who have returned, and those with more children under the age of 5 plan to stay at
home longer before returning to work. Divorced or single mothers returned to the labour
force earlier than those who are married. The length of time spent on maternity was
not related to having a civil or public job, but was related to the level of qualifications
(as mothers with lower qualifications returned to work earlier). A “partner bonus”
effect was noticed only for those who returned to work earlier, which indicates that
they could return to work because there was a caregiver for the child at home. All
mothers wanted to (and did) invest in the “social capital of their child”.
