Raising children in Hungary
As Hungary is an EU member, it adheres to the EU premise that all citizens should be entitled to equal childcare and benefits, regardless of their nationality. So if you have all your papers in order (residence permit for third-country nationals, a registration certificate for EU/EFTA nationals) and have been employed in Hungary, you are entitled to all the family and childcare benefits provided by the state to new parents.
Parental leave and social norms
Hungary is a conservative society that adheres to traditional values ' especially when it comes to having a family and raising children. It is even emphasised in the Hungarian constitution that it is preferable a man and a woman marry, instead of cohabiting together unmarried. That being said, cohabiting parents are still entitled to childcare benefits.
Good to know: Same-sex marriage is not allowed in Hungary. Same-sex 'registered partnerships' however are recognised by the law and enjoy very similar rights and benefits of a married couple.
Because of this conservative values system, in Hungary it is more or less expected that mothers will stay at home for several years after childbirth. Although technically most nurseries accept children as young as 20 weeks, the vast majority of women raise their children at home until the age of 2-3 years old ' the state provides family allowance and benefits to help make that happen. This social norm is depicted on the parental leave as well: mothers get 24 weeks of maternity leave, which they can extend to three years with paid support. Fathers, on the other hand, are only allowed five paid days, taken within the first two months after the child was born.
Childcare benefits
Given the traditional roles in Hungary require most women to stay at home and become caretakers for the first few years of their children, the state has been offering several types of benefits to financially help out.
First, there is a one-off maternity contribution given upon the birth of every child (as long as the mother has used the free maternity consultancy services). Then there is the prenatal/child-bearing aid, provided on a monthly basis for the duration of the 24-week maternity leave period. Once that is done, there is childcare pay, which constitutes 70% of an average salary and is given until the child becomes two years old. An extension of that is called 'childcare aid' and can be provided until the child becomes three years old.
Good to know: If you have three children or more, you are also entitled to child-raising support, which is payable until your youngest child becomes 8 years old.
Daycare and kindergarten
For parents who opted to go back to work, there are of course nurseries and daycare facilities, both state-owned and private. However, these facilities are not that many and sometimes end up having to take up more children than they're supposed to, in turn contributing to parents opting to keep their kids at home.
From three years old and onwards, children in Hungary are expected to join the kindergarten. Kindergartens also provide all-day care and most of them are financed by the state, while the parents only have to cover the cost of meals. Some kindergartens function as preparatory education, but for the most part, the children spend their time playing.
