The economic crisis and women’s part-time work in Hungary

Women in Hungary, as elsewhere, often seek part-time work to reconcile work and family responsibilities. Unlike in many Western European countries, historically the rate of part-time work in Hungary has been very low. Some argue that low rates of part-time work contribute to the country’s large maternal employment gap. During the economic and financial crises the share of part-time employment among women increased a great deal: from 5.8 percent in 2007 to 9.8 percent in 2012 (HCSO 2017). This chapter aims to explore the impact of the crisis on women’s work in Hungary at the microlevel, based on qualitative data gathered from focus groups of mothers of young children.