Technikatörténeti szemle 23. (1997-98)

TANULMÁNYOK - Vámos Éva Katalin: Women’s Opportunities of Studying and Practising Engineering in Hungary from 1895 to 1968 (On the example of Budapest Technical University and its women students)

technical and economical training was set as an aim. As a result of categorisation according to social origin at the entrance exams, the proportion of students of worker and peasant parents rose, by 1949/50, above 50%. The softening of dictatorial methods after Stalin's death and their return in 1955 triggered off the 1956 Hungarian revolution. University students, among them students of the Technical University, played an important part in it. After the revolution defeated by the intervention of Soviet armed forces, 334 university teachers and 2879 students left the country. However, in 1957, life could not be continued where it had been interrupted before the revolution. In the second half of the 1960s the "New Economic Mechanism" brought about a turn in Hungarian internal politics. The rise in living standards and the opening of the borders created a particular Hungarian socialism. The number of the persons admissible to universities kept increasing, however, there remained a considerable surplus in applicants. Budapest Technical University was completed with new buildings and a nuclear reactor for educational purposes. The academic year 1966/67 was the zenith of this period, that is why we analyse this year in relation to women's role at the Technical University. The effect Western-European students' movements had on Hungary and the marching of Hungarian troups into Czechoslovakia, which shocked Hungarian professionals, were the introduction to a new epoch.

31 Women at Budapest Technical University 1966/67 The role of women at Budapest Technical University and at the Technical University for Building and Transport Engineering can be illustrated, among others, by some statistical data compiled by the author from the universities' yearbooks and showing: a) the proportion and ranks of women within the staff, b) the publishing activities of women and c) the number of women graduated from the universities. In the present paper I will show, as an example, the data taken from the respective yearbooks of the academic year 1966/67.

32 a) Women on the teaching and scientific staff of Budapest Technical University, 1966/67 Budapest Technical University had, at that time, 3 engineering faculties: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (21 Departments); Faculty of Chemical Engineering (13 Departments); Faculty of Electric Engineering (18 Departments).

33 The number of the persons on the teaching and scientific staff ot the three faculties along with the number, ranks and percentage of women is given in Table 2.