Hungary’s government has introduced a radical policy aimed at addressing the country’s declining birthrate, and the results are both eye-catching and controversial.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the country has implemented a scheme offering tax breaks to women who have multiple children.
The policy’s goal is simple but ambitious: encourage families to have more children and reverse the nation’s demographic decline.
This initiative has garnered international attention as Hungary grapples with its shrinking population, but it also raises important questions about women’s rights, social welfare, and economic sustainability.
A Family’s Life Transformed by Tax Breaks
In a picturesque cottage near Budapest, we meet the Dani family: Ibolya, a talented musician, and her husband, a low-paid chef.
The family of five lives in harmony, surrounded by the beauty of nature and the warmth of a wood-burning stove.
The couple’s dream of a large family was made possible by Hungary’s new policy that scrapped personal income tax for women with two or more children.
Ibolya, 33, expressed how grateful she is for the financial assistance, which allowed her to stay home with her children and focus on raising them without the stress of financial burdens.
Thanks to the state’s help, Ibolya was able to purchase a new car, buy a house, and provide her children with music lessons.
For her, the government’s support has made a real difference in her ability to nurture her children’s talents and secure their future.
The Dani family’s situation seems to embody the success Hungary’s government hopes to achieve: stable families, happy children, and a stronger birthrate.
A Contrasting View: The Challenges of Family Policies
However, not all Hungarian women share Ibolya’s perspective.
In a small village on the banks of the Danube, we meet Boglarka Gaspardy-Boros, a 28-year-old dental assistant who is raising three children of her own.
She points out that many women in Hungary her age are not keen on having more children, despite the tempting financial incentives.
According to Boglarka, many women are focused on maintaining their careers and lifestyles, and having more children might interfere with those goals.
Boglarka also believes that the decision of how many children to have should be a personal one, not something dictated by the state.
She highlights the financial challenges of raising a family and the difficulty of making ends meet, even with the government’s help.
For her, the promise of tax exemptions and grants is not enough to encourage another child.
The Unintended Exclusions of Hungary’s Birthrate Strategy
While the government’s policies have had a noticeable impact on some families, they have also raised concerns about fairness and accessibility.
Dr. Fanni Csernus, an expert in gender studies at Amnesty International, warns that Hungary’s policies place too much pressure on women to become mothers, turning their financial security into something contingent on their fertility.
At the heart of the criticism is the exclusionary nature of the program.
Professor Eva Fodor, a social scientist at the Central European University, argues that the policies are designed to benefit ethnic-Hungarian, married mothers, while leaving out single parents, unmarried couples, and marginalized communities like the Roma.
The latter group, many of whom live in impoverished conditions, find themselves unable to access the benefits offered to more privileged families.
In one Roma village, we meet Nema Georgina, a 27-year-old mother of three, who feels left out of Hungary’s birthrate-boosting efforts.
Nema’s family lives in poverty, in a dilapidated house with no heating, and her husband works on the black market to make ends meet.
Nema receives a modest state benefit of £150 a month, but the more generous incentives for larger families have not reached her community.
She expresses frustration that, despite the government’s call to increase the population, her community is excluded from the benefits that might help lift them out of poverty.
International Reactions to Hungary’s Family Policies
Hungary’s bold experiment with family incentives has sparked debates not just within its borders but across the globe.
While some argue that the policies are a step toward addressing a serious demographic crisis, others see them as reinforcing traditional gender roles and creating a dependency on the state.
Elon Musk, the Tesla billionaire and father of multiple children, has voiced his concern about the potential dangers of a declining population, stating that “catastrophic population collapse” could be looming.
He and other proponents of traditional family values argue that increasing birthrates is a key to sustaining economic growth.
Meanwhile, critics argue that Hungary’s policies fail to address the deeper societal issues that contribute to low birthrates, such as economic inequality and the changing roles of women in the workforce.
A Glimpse into the Future: Will Other Countries Follow Hungary’s Lead?
As the world watches Hungary’s demographic experiment unfold, one question remains: will other countries, including Britain, follow suit? In the UK, there is growing concern about the country’s declining birthrate, with surveys revealing that many young people are not interested in having children.
According to Rupert Lowe, a former MP, the UK faces a “brutal truth”—the country needs more children to maintain its economy and social structure.
Hungary’s efforts may offer one model for addressing the “baby gap,” but the question remains whether such policies can be successfully replicated elsewhere without unintended consequences.
As countries grapple with their own birthrate challenges, the Hungarian experiment serves as a bold—yet controversial—test case in the global conversation about population growth, social welfare, and the future of families.