The government has supported families through a number of measures since 2010 under the motto that being a mother is compatible with pursuing a career, the minister in charge of family affairs said on Sunday, marking Mother’s Day. Katalin Novák said in a statement that the government was working to offer more opportunities for women, to ensure that “they have real freedom of choice and that mothers could be active in all walks of life”.
Novák said that since 2016 young mothers in Hungary have the opportunity to return to their full-time jobs after their child is 6 months old and still enjoy continued maternity allowances from the central budget. She added that the government had increased the capacity of creches, offering 50% more places now than in 2010 and provided an allowance for grandparents who would look after small children while the parents were working. Women can choose early retirement after 40 years in employment, Novák said, adding that the measure allowed grandmothers to “take a more active role in raising grandchildren, thus helping young mothers return to work”. She added that the period when they were not working as a result of child birth also counts in the 40 years of employment. So far, over 304,000 women have used the early retirement option, she said. Since January last year, women with four or more children have been exempted from paying personal income tax, Novák said, adding that the benefit was unique in Europe.
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