Magyar Hírek, 1986 (39. évfolyam, 1-26. szám)
1986-02-26 / 4. szám
ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND THE PREVIOUS ONE An exceptional theatrical event offers itself as the natural first item of this editorial piece. The first performance of Advent on the Hargita Mountains is reviewed in the Hungarian faction of this issue. András Sütő, the noted Transylvanian Hungarian writer is the author. The first and succeeding performances were all given standing ovations. The Budapest National Theatre had commissioned this work, which András Sütő finished in October 1984. I do not wish to tell the story here — in any event, the essence of this ballad-like play does not lie in the concrete action but the human attitudes displayed. Sütő’s message concerns expectation. The kind, of behaviour, action and state of mind at a time of expectation, hoping for a change for the better, for the light of dawn after a long night’s waiting, does matter. A father is waiting for the return of a daughter who has left home, another old and lonely man is waiting for a son buried by an avalanche, and a girl for her lover caught under snow. Sütő makes us understand in clear words that there is a great danger that can destroy the hopes of expectation and that is resignation. One must wait—but one must never be resigned — Sütő tells us in the words of a Székely who prays for his children, for the next generation. “Please lift at least the obligation to keep silent.” Ferenc Sik, the director, placed all this on the stage in the framework of chanting, carolling and folkdancing. People and events add up to colourful and entrancing folkplays as well as a moving drama. The company of the National Theatre, the splendid performance of Imre j Sinkovits and the young and talented Anna Kubik in the first place, provide an unforgettable experience. An article on Karl Polányi, the noted sociologist, the centenary of whose birth will occur this autumn was published in the previous issue. Miklós Szabó outlined the life of a man who breathed in the new ideas of the age in Hungary at the dawn of this century. Polányi was attracted to the working class movement, professed to be a socialist, yet showed himself critical of Marxism. He did not join any political party. “He was a passionate seeker of the truth, of the moral life and the freedom of the spirit in contrast with traditional philosophy”, his widow wrote about him. When they left Hungary, Polányi and Ilona Duczynska, his wife, first lived in Vienna, and later moved to England, where Polányi taught in London and Oxford. In 1947 the Polányis moved to Canada, where they lived in a cottage in the woods near Toronto. Polányi lectured on comparative economic history at Columbia University, New York. This is what József Bognár wrote about the life-work of Polányi: “He did not leave finished dogmas and dead patterns behind him, but ideas always capable of self-renewal, always showing solidarity with mankind. He embodies a way of thinking that is capable of delving into the past and future of mankind at the same time . . . His life-work helps us to understand the specific conditions of economies and societies: and the understanding of these conditions is the token of change and progress.” The population of Hungary declined by almost two thousand in 1981, about ten thousand in 1982, and twenty-one thousand in 1983. Why? Are social and economic reasons instrumental? Is the changed structure and function of the family adversely influencing demographic trends ? These were the questions I put to László Cseh-Szombathy, the head of the Institute of Sociology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. “Only 1.3 per cent of couples have four or more children nowadays, while the average number of children per family is not even two. What is your opinion of large families, or rather of the low number of children?” “Well, the truth is that even two children per couple would be insufficient to make up for the decline in the population. The aim Hungarian demographic policy set in 1973 was that an average of 2.5 children should be born to every couple, that is that half the couples should look on two children as the ideal size, and the other half three. The decline in the number of large families is understandable, since the present income and housing conditions do not offer good opportunities for more children. Naturally, this does not mean that some couples could not have more than three or four children, but that would require a heavy sacrifice on their part. Such families must enjoy the full support of the whole of society. There are people who consider couples with many children as irresponsible. I do not agree with them, for we know of cases where a great number of children is the result of conscious acceptance grown from conviction, and I regard that to be most honourable and very useful for society.” “A few large families will not, however, change the population decline.” ‘What we should decide in the first place is whether it is really so bad if the population of a country is dwindling. In the case of a big nation it may not be all that bad. But the situation is different in the case of a small people, like the Hungarians. It is the tendency of the process that counts here and not only the twenty thousand decline, not even the half a million that we will be fewer by the year 2000 — according to all the forecasts. We must think about the possibilities of reversing this tendency and introducing measures to put a stop to the decline.” “In what way could the demographic situation be improved?” “In connection with this problem many people think that even the simplest measures could immediately arrest the process. Of course, that is out of the question. I should like to mention but one example. The girls who will reach child bearing age in 1985 and later were born in the sixties, when the birthrate was very low. Consequently no essential change could take place in the population numbers even if intentions to have children would suddenly change. In other words, increased enthusiasm for child bearing could produce really spectacular results only at times when the number of women of child bearing age is high. We have to accept the fact that fluctuations are influenced by events two or three decades earlier, and also that the effect of what is happening now will be felt only in twenty to thirty years time.” “What are the factors influencing intentions to have children today in Hungary?” “From the aspect of accepting children the critical point is the housing situation. A young couple has to wait an average of seven to eight years — according to data of the Central Statistical Office—to get a state-owned rented home. Should the couple decide to solve their accommodation problem using their own resources, then the period of saving would take up just about as much time I feel I have to mention here also that the floor area of the bulk of the homes built during the past three decades was between 40 and 50 square metres, and that does not favour large families.” “Would intentions to have children grow were the housing problem solved?” “Obviously yes, but we should not leave other factors out of our calculation either, for instance finances. Social allowances cover only 15 to 20 per cent of the cost of supporting a child in Hungary today, thus the per capita income of the family dwindles with the birth of each child. The really stimulating situation would be if the financial position of the family would improve after the birth of each child, but it would be a folly to expect that. Indeed, no economic system exists where this has been realized. No radical change can therefore be expected in the willingness to have children, as a result of a modest rise in the child allowances.” “Did the change in family structure play a role in the fluctuation of the population?” “Yes, it did, to a considerable degree. The coming into being of the two-breadwinner family, the massive employment of women brought with it that women could not afford to devote their life to their family. Introduction of the child care allowance produced a change in this field, and we can justly regard it as a very great achievement even if the amount of the allowance is well below the last pay-envelope of the young mother. Financial assistance for child caring was re-rcgulated in 1984 with the introduction of child care payments which are much closer to the earlier earnings of the mother. Sickness benefits payable to mothers nursing their sick child were also extended, and part-time employment was made possible for young mothers without loss of the child care payment. But reconciling children and a job is still a problem even given these measures. When a woman gives up her job for a shorter or longer period in order to rear children, she inevitably finds herself in an unfavourable position vis-a-vis her male and childless female colleagues. We are well aware of the fact that the employment of women and giving them the opportunity of a higher education and of entry into the professions adversely influenced the birth rate. In spite of that we cannot do without female labour, just as we do not — and must not—hinder the process of urbanization and the changes in the occupational structure even when the latter also negatively influence the readyness to have children.” “I understand that the conditions and circumstances, which determine our demographic situation act in a complex interaction even with one-anotlier.” “This is precisly the reason why support is needed in every field of life, yet we should not expect miracles from any of them. One must not exaggerate the significance of any particular measure. It would help a lot, though, if a radical change of attitude would occur in Hungary. What do I have in mind? Just that we must declare frankly and realistically that the acceptance of a child, or children requires sacrifices and self-denial on the part of parents in certain fields, financially and in the way they spend their leisure time. But they should also be aware of the joys of having children and the emotional enrichment gained by becoming parents. Fathers us well as mothers are bound to participate in these positive experiences thus shouldering their share of the difficulties. É. Á. Photo: Ferenc Novotta 29
