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”.

University of Debrecen Faculty of Health Nyíregyháza Hungary

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