Cseri Miklós - Sári Zsolt (szerk.): Vidéki életmódváltozások a 20. században (Szentendre, Szabadtéri Néprajzi Múzeum, 2009)

Hortoványi Piroska: Neked volt gyerekszobád? – A falusi gyermek státuszának változása a 20. század második felében

Piroska Hortoványi Who was having a nursery? Change in the status of village children in the second half of the 20™ century Children's status underwent a considerable change in the second half of the 20th century. The loss of their land property brought about a change in the peasantry's life. As a consequence the village community, the so far prevalent social and moral norm disintegrated. The idea of children changed too. Time spending: The use of time by the peasantry changes due to the organisation of agricultural cooperatives. As long as they owned their land, different chores controlled their daily life rather than hours and dates. Leisure time as understood nowadays did not exist. Entertainment, merry making was often entwined with work opportunities (grape harvest, spinning room, etc.) Work was measured with hours in the cooperatives, and new activities were invented for adults and children to spend their spare time. Leisure time activities and work are sharply separated nowadays. Job sharing within the family: work opportunities outside the village reduced the importance of the family as production unit. The family structure has changed too. As long as the family owned his land, the child was a very important workforce who participated in the agricultural work and animal husbandry. Working in the community was considered for children as playing opportunities. Work done by children - looked upon as natural - has ceased. In families having a household plot, the young generation had to contribute to the agricultural work but since it didn't apply to every child, it was no more considered as a natural activity but as a duty. As soon as women took up jobs, education in institutions had a major function. Traditional male and female chores disappeared. Due to kindergarten education young boys are taking over chores considered earlier as female work in the traditional peasant society. After the loss of land property, the peasantry invested surplus money in the construction of big dwelling houses, which were outfitted with a nursery room. The emerging of the private sphere, furthermore the fact of spending less time with the own age group have resulted in the loss of importance of games in groups. The increasing number and kinds of objects in the peasant household - among them toys purchased in shops - promoted this process too. Due to the transformation of the village structure, children are not allowed to move around as freely as before, which is another reason for the loss of importance of games in groups (Kávás). 319