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

Abstract

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. The analysis presented in this chapter complements the existing macrolevel studies on the gendered labor market effects of the crisis in Hungary (European Commission 2013; Frey 2014). Focusing on women’s experience of finding employment during the financial crisis and the way they make sense of their work - care decisions, I will discuss how employment opportunities were shaped by the crisis. I will also examine the ways in which the crisis shaped women ’ s gender ideologies, in particular their beliefs about combining paid work and childcare.