PhD Scientific Days 2025

Poster Session III. - M: Mental Health Sciences

Attitudes Towards Sharing Childcare Responsibilities in Hungary and Finland: A Quantitative Study

Name of the presenter

Orosz Adrienn

Institute/workplace of the presenter

Semmelweis University PHD Program Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Authors

Orosz Adrienn¹, Dr. Sztáray Kézdy Éva², Dr. Drjenovszky Zsófia²

1: Semmelweis University PHD Program Interdisciplinary Social Sciences
2: Károli Gáspár University of The Reformed Church

Text of the abstract

Introduction: Our study provides a comparison of childcare attitudes in Hungary and Finland. One of Finland's best-known social characteristics is its progressive and egalitarian approach to childcare, an important aspect of which is the equal sharing of roles and responsibilities between men and women, while post-socialist Hungary is more characterized by its support for traditional gender roles and family models.
Aims: The aim of this study is to provide a quantitative comparative analysis of attitudes towards the sharing of childcare responsibilities and the role of heterosexual parents (mothers and fathers) within families in Hungary and Finland along the dimensions of the traditional and egalitarian family models.
Methods: Data from the 2022 module of the International Social Survey Programme "Family and Changing Gender Roles" with Hungarian (N = 1027) and Finnish (N = 1250) respondents were analyzed regarding attitudes towards family work division, gender roles and childcare perceptions, with a focus on the views on fathers' participation in family and household tasks. Statistical analysis of the data revealed social differences in the division of childcare responsibilities.
Result: The main results show that while in Hungary traditional attitudes towards women's and men's roles in the family are present, Finnish respondents clearly reject traditional gender roles, indicating support for the egalitarian family model. Athough we found some differences between various sociodemographic groups in this regard, the Finnish population's attitudes towards parental roles are more homogeneous compared to the Hungarian sample, which seems to be polarised.

Conclusion and funding: The roles of fathers with young children within the family reflect a caring pattern of active involvement in the child's life in both countries, but the traditional role of the father in providing financial security for the family is still an important expectation in Hungarian society, while in the Finnish population this is less emphasised. This research contributes to the understanding of differences in childcare, the effects and differences in family support policies in Scandinavian Finland and post-socialist Hungary, also suggests measures for a more equal distribution of childcare responsibilities.