Gender issues in times of crisis

The most surprising fact to emerge from a European Women’s Lobby (EWL) report entitled “An Invisible Crisis?” is perhaps that the present government of Hungary is 100% male. It is the first government for many years to not have a single female representative, explains the report, which was published in March 2010 and which analyses the implications that the economic crisis has for women across Europe.  But the shocking revelations do not end here and the report goes on to paint a bleak picture of life for Hungary’s fairer sex. Those most at risk are women who belong to minority groups, like the Roma, who are especially vulnerable to trafficking since recession-induced cuts in services resulted in one of the country’s two shelters being closed. 

Borbála Juhász, 42, is a Hungarian expert on women and gender issues. In her work with the Hungarian Women’s Lobby, a local NGO and member of the EWL, and her volunteering with the Regina Foundation, which works to foster social and economic equality for both men and women in and around Budapest, she is in daily contact with Hungarian women bearing the brunt of the economic crisis.  

There are discordant views about the economic situation in Hungary. What is your take?

I too am hearing discordant views. I think that the main problem is that the crisis has meant that many internationally owned factories were closed. This has meant that many men, who are the main breadwinners, have lost their jobs and their mortgages, often stipulated in international currencies (like the Swiss Frank, Japanese Yes etc) drop in value. These two factors combined mean serious trouble for families.  

Do you expect the economic crisis or the recent government measures, like the government’s proposed 16% flat rate tax on all family income, to have an effect on the women you work with?

Hungarian families generally welcome this new idea of a family tax, which here is supported by the conservatives. In principle it goes against the individualist feminist ideal (in Sweden the tax was abolished in the 70s, and the abolition was seen as an important element of women’s empowerment), but it can help women in families that have children.

Hungary, like many other EU countries, is living in a turbulent political times marked by sometimes fierce ethnic tensions. How does this affect the work you do with women and minorities? 

In our experience, anti-Roma rhetoric goes hand in hand with other racist rhetoric be it anti-Semitic, nationalistic, or gender based. These discourses see women’s main job as that of taking care of the family, the children and their husbands, who ultimately rule. This belief is very contradictory in a country like  Hungary where few families can afford to live with a single breadwinner for very long, but it nonetheless brings about strong homophobic sentiments. And makes our work very difficult, sometimes destroying years of professional gender expertise. For example recently, partly thanks to our effort, a new voice was included in the Nursery Education Law which referred to “not promoting gender stereotypes in the everyday educational work of the nursery”.  In a country where two thirds of the population voted for the conservative party in the recent May elections, the media jumped on the provision dubbing it a liberal attempt to turn children into homosexuals.

The Hungarian Women’s Lobby has also started training government officials on the topic of gender mainstreaming – which basically means including gender concerns when making policy decisions –  which should be an EU requirement when distributing EU development funds. Unfortunately, gender mainstreaming is seen by many as an unnatural mixing of the sexes, as washing away differences and even as “evil”.

What main challenges will the Hungarian non profit sector face in the next five years?

Probably the same as in the past five years: lack of finances, difficult financial management and late payments of EU funds, which are usually the only income organizations have. 

Can you see anything positive coming from the economic crisis?

In our policy papers we emphasized that the old economic order proved to be a catastrophe. A new approach should come now, one that uses both gender budgeting to include women’s and children’s interests in economic decisions and green budgeting, so we may look forward to a healthy, sustainable planet.  

To find out more:

www.noierdek.hu/noierdek

www.womenlobby.org

www.reginakozpont.hu