Hungarian Studies Newsletter, 1975 (3. évfolyam, 6-8. szám)
1975 / 6. szám
main branches of agriculture were corn cultivation and extensive animal husbandry. The production of industrial crops was less significant and consisted mainly of sugar-beet growing. Agriculture was on a low technological level, and thus average yields were small. After World War II, and especially in the last decade, significant results were obtained through more intensive land cultivation. The organization of state and cooperative farms permitted the widespread introduction of modern machinery and modern irrigation methods. New, high-yielding crops were acclimatized. In the last 25 years the economic structure of the country has changed. Whereas formerly agriculture was the most important sector, at present industry significantly surpasses agriculture in the production of national income. Industry and construction account for slightly more than half the national income; the contribution of agriculture is less than 20 percent. Bauxite mining and the aluminum industry, machine production, and, recently, the chemical industry have developed rapidly. Relationship to Social Welfare Expenditures Public Education In 1972, 3.4 percent of the national income was spent on education. In Hungary, most educational institutions are under state control, and the curriculums and textbooks are generally uniform. Public Health In 1972, 3.3 percent of the national income was spent on public health. In that year there were 2.4 physicians and 8.3 hospital beds per thousand population. Information and advice on family planning and contraception are provided by the National Health Service during gynecological consultations at outpatient clinics. IUDs are inserted in the gynecological departments of hospitals. Social organizations for women and young people provide more general information. There is no institution or network that deals solely with family planning. History of Population Concerns In the early part of this century, the public was concerned about the declining birth rate. This concern intensified in the 1930s when the live birth rate fell below 20 per thousand, and a strong pronatalist policy was pursued with a somewhat nationalistic rationale. After World War II, in the second half of the 1940s, the live birth rate increased temporarily. At the beginning of the 1950s, however, it fell again. To prevent a further decrease in fertility, the government took severe measures to decrease the incidence of abortion. These measures produced a temporary increase in the live birth rate. Because, however, no appropriate economic measures, sanitary measures, or measures to influence social consciousness accompanied the administrative efforts aimed at increasing fertility, the increase in the live birth rate did not last. The outlines of a well-considered, long-range population policy integrated with a general social and economic policy began to develop in the second half of the 1960s. The main objective of this policy is to increase the birth rate, or fertility. To achieve this objective, the government hopes to raise the average family size to 2.3-2.5 children (to keep fertility above the replacement level) by decreasing the burdens of child rearing and by providing socioeconomic assistance to families with children. A second related objective is to develop a responsible demographic attitude among the population: to promote the use of effective contraception and to decrease the incidence of abortion, which may be detrimental to the health of women. Population Policy Hungary had no law on family planning or birth control up to 1973. The 1949 Constitution of Hungary and, in 1972, the new Constitution, formed the basis of its population policy. The Constitution includes, among the rights and obligations of Hungarian citizens, equality of rights between men and women, protection of the institution of marriage and the family, assurance of similar working conditions for both sexes, paid maternity leave, protection of pregnant women, and protection of children. Many laws exerting either a direct or indirect influence on certain demographic characteristics of the population are elaborations on these basic guarantees. Since the 1950s, the government has consistently expanded and increased benefits and services for mothers, working women, infants, children, and families. The goals of the relevant legislation have been to improve the quality of life of the family by decreasing the demands on the parents, financial and otherwise, of raising children and to improve the health of women and children. With the decline of the birth rate to a level below replacement and with the recognition of the implications of this decline for the future well-being of the society, the need for a coherent, long-range population policy has been increasingly acknowledged. The recent Decision of the Council of Ministers on the Tasks of Population Policy, issued in October 1973, reflects the growing concern with the demographic situation in Hungary. This Decision, which is discussed in more detail below, includes among its explicit goals a decline in the abortion rate and an increase in average family size. Legislation Listed below are some of the benefits, services, and laws that have population policy implications. They include acts of the Parliament, decrees of the Presidential Council, resolutions of the Council of Ministers, governmental regulations, and ministerial orders or directives. Pregnancy and Confinement According to a ministerial order passed in 1953, health institutions must notify health workers of all diagnosed pregnancies. The health workers visit pregnant women within one week after diagnosis to arrange a free medical consultation with a doctor in the National Health Service. Pregnant women are urged to have one examination per month for the last six months of pregnancy. In 1970, about 98 percent of all pregnant women appeared for an average of 7.6 examinations each. 10
