Abstract
This chapter analyses gender equality challenges in Hungarian academia. The chapter starts with a detailed analysis of gendered segregations in the Hungarian education system and then moves on to discuss various factors behind the current women-unfriendly academic climate. The detailed analysis of official statistics documents the gendered patterns across different disciplines and women’s decreasing presence the higher one moves up the academic hierarchy. The chapter demonstrates that, despite increasing gender-balance at the lower levels of the Hungarian academic system, women who aspire to an academic career nevertheless face numerous obstacles in their struggles to attain full or even limited academic citizenship. The chapter also discusses the recent restrictions on gender studies in Hungary and stress the significant consequences of these restrictions for women’s academic citizenship within the wider political context.
We express our thanks to Éva Holb, who also participated in processing data from the Felvi database.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
At the time of socialism the rate of those participating in higher education was artificially kept low, not exceeding 10% of the given population (Halász and Lannert 2000: 143).
- 2.
Distribution patterns by gender and field of education in Hungarian higher education are similar to those in European countries. It is to be noted, however, that the rates are more extreme. While at European level one-fifth of male students pursue studies in engineering, manufacturing and construction programmes, the same rate in Hungary is 30%. In education studies the European average of women is 10%, while in Hungary it is almost one-fifth (17%). It is also conspicuous that the participation of students, both male and female, in natural science programmes is extremely low (3–4% compared to the European average of 7–9%) (Eurostat 2016).
- 3.
According to the statement of the Minister of Innovation, gender studies are not necessary in Hungary. His claim is based on the denial of the concept of gender and the sole acceptance of biological sex, which resonates the official governmental standpoint. He states that there are no genders in Hungary, similar to submarines, thus the country does not need any education on that (‘We have neither genders, nor submarines’ (sic!)). https://azonnali.hu/cikk/20190627_palkovics-ugy-akar-elbanni-az-mta-val-mint-egykoron-a-nemetek-tettek-az-ndk-val.
- 4.
The online questionnaire was completed in the spring of 2018 by 1779 young researchers, i.e. under the age of 45. The sample is not representative, but due to the large sample size the results might be valid for the researcher population under 45. The statistical analysis contained a total of 1535 responses.
- 5.
The OECD PISA 2015 database shows that the expectations of Hungarian parents of their daughters in STEM fields are among the lowest, and Hungary is also at the tail end of the line in terms of girls’ aspirations to pursue a career in STEM. The two are most likely related.
- 6.
- 7.
- 8.
- 9.
- 10.
- 11.
References
Alpár, D., Barnaföldi, G. G., Dékány, É., Kubinyi, E., Máté, Á., Munkácsy, B., et al. (2019). Fiatal kutatók Magyarországon. Felmérés a 45 év alatti kutatók helyzetéről [Young Researchers in Hungary—A Survey on the State of Researchers Under the Age of 45]. Magyar Tudomány, 180(7), 1064–1077. https://doi.org/10.1556/2065.180.2019.7.13.
Balog, Z. (2017). Társadalmi nemek nincsenek, társadalmi szerepek azonban vannak [There Are No Genders, Just Social Roles]. http://www.balogzoltan.hu/balog-tarsadalmi-nemek-nincsenek-tarsadalmi-szerepek-azonban-vannak/20170308. Accessed 1 May 2019.
Bazsa, G. (2019). Nők az Akadémián: beszéljenek a számok! [Women at the Academy: Let the Numbers Speak!]. Magyar Tudomány, 180(7), 1078–1081. https://doi.org/10.1556/2065.180.2019.7.14.
Beilock, S. L., Gunderson, E. A., Ramirez, G., & Levine, S. C. (2010). Female Teachers’ Math Anxiety Affects Girls’ Math Achievement. Proceedings at the National Academy of Sciences U S A., 107(5), 1860–1863. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0910967107.
Britton, D. M. (2017). Beyond the Chilly Climate: The Salience of Gender in Women’s Academic Careers. Gender & Society, 31(1), 5–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243216681494.
Charles, M., & Thébaud, S. (Eds.). (2018). Gender and STEM: Understanding Segregation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. MDPI Books. https://doi.org/10.3390/books978-3-03897-148-1. Accessed 15 April 2018.
Csillag, M., Greskovics, B., & Molnár, T. (2019). Girls in Hungarian Vocational Education. In K. Fazekas & A. Szabó-Morvai (Eds.), The Hungarian Labour Market 2018 (pp. 111–113). Budapest: Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
CSO. (2017). Nők és férfiak Magyarországon 2016 [Women and Men in Hungary 2016]. Budapest: Central Statistical Office.
CSO. (2018). Kutatás-fejlesztés 2017 [Research and Development 2017]. Budapest: Central Statistical Office.
Csüllög, K., Molnár, É. D., & Lannert, J. (2014). A tanulók matematikai teljesítményét befolyásoló motívumok és stratégiák vizsgálata a 2003-as és 2012-es PISA-mérésekben [Analysis of Motifs and Strategies Influencing Students’ Mathematics Performance in the 2003 and 2012 PISA Study]. In Hatások és különbségek. Másodelemzések a hazai és nemzetközi tanulói képességmérések eredményei alapján [Effects and Differences: Desk Research Based on the Results of Hungarian and International Student Performance Tests]. Budapest: Educational Authority.
Declercq, K., & Varga, J. (2019). Horizontal Gender Segregation in Higher Education—STEM Applications. In K. Fazekas & A. Szabó-Morvai (Eds.), The Hungarian Labour Market 2018 (pp. 114–121). Budapest: Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
Eccles, J. S. (1993). School and Family Effects on the Ontogeny of Children’s Interests, Self-Perceptions, and Activity Choice. In J. Jacobs (Ed.), Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, 1992: Developmental Perspectives on Motivation (pp. 145–208). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
Eccles, J. S., & Roeser, R. W. (2013). Schools as Developmental Contexts During Adolescence. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(1), 225–241. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00725.x.
Eurostat. (2016). Online Database. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/education-and-training/data/database.
Fényes, H. (2010). A nemi sajátosságok különbségének vizsgálata az oktatásban: A nők hátrányainak felszámolása? [Examination of Gender Characteristics in Education: Eliminating Women’s Disadvantage?]. Debrecen: Debreceni Egyetemi Kiadó.
Fodor, É. (2004). The State Socialist Emancipation Project: Gender Inequality in Workplace Authority in Hungary and Austria. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 29(3), 783–813.
Fodor, É., & Kispéter, E. (2014). Making the ‘Reserve Army’ Invisible: Lengthy Parental Leave and Women’s Economic Marginalization in Hungary. European Journal of Women’s Studies, 21(4), 382–398.
Füleki, K., Groó, D., Kleinheincz, F., & Paksi, V. (2018). EFFORTI—Deliverable 2.2 Country Note Hungary. https://www.efforti.eu/publications/country-reports. Accessed 20 March 2019.
Gagyi, Á. (2018, 28 December). Gender Studies in Hungary Are Now Being Linked to Broader Struggles: Interview with Anikó Gregor. Left East. https://www.criticatac.ro/lefteast/gender-studies-in-hungary/. Accessed 22 July 2019.
Government Decree. (2010). Decree No. 1004 of 2010 (21 January) of the Government on a National Strategy Promoting the Social Equality of Women and Men—Directions and Goals 2010–2021. Magyar Közlöny, No. 5.
Grzebalska, W., Kováts, E., & Pető, A. (2017, January 13). Gender as Symbolic Glue: How ‘Gender’ Became an Umbrella Term for the Rejection of the (Neo)Liberal Order. Political Critique. http://politicalcritique.org/long-read/2017/gender-as-symbolic-glue-how-gender-became-an-umbrella-term-for-the-rejection-of-the-neoliberal-order/. Accessed 22 July 2019.
Grzebalska, W., & Pető, A. (2018). The Gendered Modus Operandi of the Illiberal Transformation in Hungary and Poland. Women’s Studies International Forum, 68, 164–172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2017.12.001.
Halász, G., & Lannert, J. (Eds.). (2000). Jelentés a magyar közoktatásról 2000 [Report on Hungarian Public Education, 2000]. Budapest: Hungarian Institute of Public Education.
Hall, R. M., & Sandler, B. R. (1982). The Classroom Climate: A Chilly One for Women? Washington, DC: Project on the Status and Education of Women. http://eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED215628.pdf. Accessed 25 July 2019.
Hargittai, M. (2015). Nők a tudományban határok nélkül [Women in Science Without Borders]. Budapest: Akadémiai.
Herke, B., Kutrovátz, K., Paksi, V., & Ivony, É. (2019). Career Paths in the Field of Sociology (Unpublished Manuscript, Corvinus Doctoral School of Sociology).
Hrubos, l. (1994). A férfiak és a nők iskolai végzettsége, szakképzettsége [Educational Attainment and Qualification of Men and Women]. In M. Hadas (Ed.), Férfiuralom [Male Dominance] (pp. 155–175). Replika Könyvek 2. Budapest: Replika Kör.
Infojegyzet. (2014, April 18). Családpolitika [Family Policy]. Infojegyzet, 9. http://www.parlament.hu/documents/10181/73472/Infojegyzet_2014_9_csaladpolitika.pdf/00dc5263-cd83–4fe0-9905-184f7dc57b53. Accessed 3 April 2019.
Kereszty, O. (2007). A társadalmi nem (gender) mint a kutatás tárgya a pedagógiában [Gender as a Research Subject in Education]. Educatio, 4, 637–649.
Krizsán, A., & Zentai, V. (2006). Gender Equality Policy or Gender Mainstreaming? Policy Studies, 27(2), 135–151. https://doi.org/10.1080/01442870600722912.
Lamm, V., & Nagy, B. (2019). 2019 ismét a „nők éve” az Akadémián. Törekvések a nők tudományos pályafutásának támogatására [Once Again, a ‘Year of Women’ at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences: Efforts to Promote Women’s Academic Career]. Magyar Tudomány, 180(11), 1649–1665. https://doi.org/10.1556/2065.180.2019.11.6.
MHC. (2019). Instruction No. 16 of 2018 (26 July) of the Minister of Human Capacities on the Rule of Organisation and Operation of the Ministry of Human Capacities [Consolidated with the Amendments of Instruction No. 4 of 2019 (1 March) of the Minister of Human Capacities]. http://www.kormany.hu/hu/emberi-eroforrasok-miniszteriuma/szervezet. Accessed 3 April 2019.
MTA. (2016a, június 20). Az MTA 187. közgyűlésének beszámolói és határozatai [Reports and Resolutions of the 187: General Assembly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences]. https://mta.hu/kozgyules2016/az-mta-187-kozgyulesenek-hatarozatai-106427. Accessed 20 March 2019.
MTA. (2016b, November 22). Áttörni az üvegplafont, kijutni az útvesztőből – Nők a tudományban kerekasztal az Akadémián [Breaking the Glass Ceiling, Get Out from the Labyrinth—Roundtable Discussion on Women in Science at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences]. https://mta.hu/mta_hirei/attorni-az-uvegplafont-kijutni-az-utvesztobol-elsokent-ult-ossze-a-nok-a-tudomanyban-kerekasztal-az-akademian-107103. Accessed 20 March 2019.
MTA. (2017, január 26). Megalakult a Nők a Kutatói Életpályán Elnöki Bizottság [The Presidential Committee Facilitating Women’s Academic Advancement Has Been Launched]. https://mta.hu/mta_hirei/megalakult-a-nok-a-kutatoi-eletpalyan-elnoki-bizottsag-107348. Accessed 20 March 2019.
MTA. (2019a, April). Tudományos fokozatok nemek szerint [Academic Degrees by Gender]. MS.
MTA. (2019b, május 7). A Magyar Tudományos Akadémia újonnan megválasztott tagjai [The Newly Elected Members of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences]. https://mta.hu/mta_hirei/a-magyar-tudomanyos-akademia-ujonnan-megvalasztott-tagjai-109664.
Nagy, B., Király, G., & Géring, Zs. (2016). Work-Life Balance and Gender Regime After the Economic Transition. Intersections: East European Journal of Society and Politics, 2(3), 5–20. https://doi.org/10.17356/ieejsp.v2i3.283.
OECD. (2015). The ABC of Gender Equality in Education: Aptitude, Behaviour, Confidence. PISA, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264229945-en.
O’Keefe, T., & Courtois, A. (2019). ‘Not One of the Family’: Gender and Precarious Work in the Neoliberal University. Gender, Work & Organization. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12346.
Paksi, V. (2014). Miért kevés a női hallgató a természet- és műszaki tudományi képzésekben? Nemzetközi kitekintés a „szivárgó vezeték”-metaforára [Why Are There Few Women Students in STEM Education? International Review to the ‘Leaking Pipe’ Analogy]. Replika, 85–86, 108–130.
Paksi, V., Nagy, B., & Király, G. (2016). The Timing of Motherhood While Earning a PhD in Engineering. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 11, 285–304. https://doi.org/10.28945/3544.
Pető, A. (2017). Anti-gender, azaz a társadalmi nemek fogalmát mint ellenségképet használó tudományos diskurzus megjelenése Magyarországon [The Appearance of Anti-gender Academic Discourse in Hungary]. In M. Kovács (Ed.), Társadalmi nemek. Elméleti megközelítések és kutatási eredmények [Genders: Theoretical Approaches and Research Findings] (pp. 209–217). Budapest: Eötvös Kiadó.
Pető, A. (2018). Nők a tudományban [Women in Science]. Magyar Tudomány, 179(4), 550–565. https://doi.org/10.1556/2065.179.2018.4.9.
Roggeband, C., & Krizsán, A. (2018). Reversing Gender Policy Progress: Patterns of Backsliding in Central and Eastern European New Democracies. European Journal of Politics and Gender, 1(3). https://doi.org/10.1332/251510818x15311219732356.
Séllei, N. (2015). Professzornők a Debreceni Egyetemen [Women Professors at Debrecen University]. Debreceni Szemle, 3, 260–277. http://szemle.unideb.hu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015_3_S%C3%A9llei_N%C3%B3ra.pdf.
Striebing, C., Kalpazidou Schmidt, E., Palmén, R., Holzinger, F., & Nagy, B. (2020, April). Women Underrepresentation in R&I: A Sector Program Assessment of the Contribution of Gender Equality Policies in Research and Innovation. Evaluation and Program Planning, 79, 101749. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2019.101749.
Széll, K., & Nagy, Á. (2018). Oktatási helyzetkép: iskolai életutak, tervek és lehetőségek [A Review of Education: School Careers, Aspirations and Opportunities]. In A. Nagy (Ed.), Margón kívül – magyar ifjúságkutatás 2016 [Outside the Margin—Hungarian Youth Research 2010] (pp. 54–97). Ecxenter Kutatóközpont.
Szemerszki, M., & Imre, A. (2011). A felsőoktatásba jelentkezők és felvettek [Higher Education Applications and Admissions]. In M. Kocsis (Ed.), Felsőoktatás – Adatok és tendenciák [Higher Education—Data and Figures]. Budapest: Hungarian Institute for Educational Research and Development, Center for Research, Organisation and Analysis. http://ofi.hu/tudastar/felsooktatas-110209. Accessed 1 April 2019.
Thun, É. (2006) A társadalmi nemek tudománya a neveléstudományban és a tanárképzés/pedagógusképzés pedagógiájában [Gender in Education Science and Teacher Training]. In A. Pető (Ed.), A társadalmi nemek oktatása Magyarországon [Gender Education in Hungary] (pp. 78–85). Budapest: Ministry of Youth, Family, Social Welfare and Equal Opportunities.
Tuominen-Soini, H., Salmela-Aro, K., & Niemivirta, M. (2008). Achievement Goal Orientations and Subjective Well-Being: A Person-Centred Analysis. Learning and Instruction, 18(3), 251–266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2007.05.003.
Varga, J. (2019). Changes in the Gender Gap in Educational Attainment. In K. Fazekas & A. Szabó-Morvai (Eds.), The Hungarian Labour Market 2018 (pp. 98–103). Budapest: Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
Wang, M. T., & Degol, J. (2013). Motivational Pathways to STEM Career Choices: Using Expectancy-Value Perspective to Understand Individual and Gender Differences in STEM Fields. Developmental Review, 33(4), 304–340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2013.08.001.
Zimmermann, S., et al. (2019). Report from the Region. The “Anti-Gender” Wave Contested: Gender Studies, Civil Society, and the State in Eastern Europe and Beyond. Aspasia, 13, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3167/asp.2019.130103.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Lannert, J., Nagy, B. (2020). Changing Institutional Policies and Gender Equality Challenges: The Hungarian Case. In: Sümer, S. (eds) Gendered Academic Citizenship. Citizenship, Gender and Diversity. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52600-9_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52600-9_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-52599-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-52600-9
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)