Domestic Work and Family Considerations

Abstract

This section builds from the consideration of women’s paid work to look at some of the other types of work which women do, the unpaid and generally undervalued work which women carry out in the home and in caring for their children and other family-members. Over the past few decades certain changes have taken place in Hungarian families – both in terms of structure, and of members’ expectations. Some of the structural changes which occur when people meet, marry, have children, and divorce are considered. Although partially attempted, in terms of large laundries and catering/canteen facilities at workplaces, the socialisation of housework has not been successfully achieved in Hungary. Although most workplaces did have cheap canteens and there were many neighbourhood laundries, the major burden of domestic work, including cooking evening meals, cleaning, ironing, and mending clothes, fell to women. On the other hand, the need for socialised child-care services was recognised from the early 1950s. Rather than easing the burdens of working mothers, this debate was viewed in the overall context of labour efficiency prevalent at this time.