Stalling modernization of family values: a quarter century of change and stability

Adél Katalin Rohr, Hungarian Central Statistical Office (HCSO)
Zsolt Spéder, Hungarian Demographic Research Institute

Major theories, especially the theory of the second demographic transition, and the developmental idealism framework attribute a determining role to value orientation, and to value change in fertility development started around the 70s in Western Europe. These approaches became very popular also in explaining abrupt changes in fertility behavior after the political upheaval in post-communist countries. Our investigation aims to identify changes in attitudes toward gender roles, family life, marriage and childbearing in the last twenty-five years in Hungary, and hope to contribute to discussions about possible effects of value change on fertility behavior. Using the „Changing Gender Roles” module International Social Survey Program, we cover the time from 1988 to 2013 and could utilize four waves of data collection. According our preliminary analyze of family related value change does not have a have a clean-cut character. Although the basic trend is toward modernization, we can identify throwbacks (at the very beginning) and in specific dimension (eg. value of children) inertia. We also aim to identify if period and/or age effects, and the educational expansion contributed to the value changes.