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Original Articles

Leave arrangements and childcare services in Central Europe: Policies and practices before and after the transition

Pages 301-318 | Published online: 01 Jul 2010
 

Abstract

The paper provides a comparative analysis of childcare and leave policies in four Central European countries. The first part considers developments in policy since the 1960s, including the first extended leave scheme introduced in Hungary in 1967 and the changes that have taken place since the end of the communist regimes. Although the transition process during the 1990s had many similarities, the emergence of national, cultural and religious identities contributed to some diversification of policies. After certain divergent trends, the Czech Republic and Hungary converged again towards the end of the 1990s, as both countries returned to a pro-natalist approach. Slovakia has retained a balance between pro-natalist and pro-traditional approaches. Poland had less generous policies before 1989: the subsequent political resurgence of Catholicism has accentuated the specificity of that country's policies. The second part discusses major issues arising in the post-1990 period: population policy and fertility; women's employment and the gap between rights and practices in the division of household work; and the specific situation in the Czech Republic. El articulo aporta un análisis comparativo de las políticas del cuidado infantil y permiso laboral (baja por maternidad/paternidad) en los cuatro países centroeuropeos. La primera parte considera el desarrollo de la política desde los 1960s, incluida la primera esquema de permiso prolongado introducido en Hungría en 1967 y los cambios desde el fin de los gobiernos comunistas. Aunque había muchas semejanzas, la aparición de identidades nacionales, culturales y religiosas contribuyó a una diversificación en la política. Después de ciertas tendencias divergentes, la República Checa y Hungría convergieron hacia el fin de los 90s, como ambos países volvieron al planteamiento pro-natalidad. Eslovaquia ha guardado un equilibrio entre enfoques pro-natalidad y pro-tradicional. Polonia tenía políticas menos generosos antes de 1989: el posterior resurgimiento del catolicismo ha subrayado la especificidad de las políticas del país. La segunda parte discute cuestiones que surgieron después de 1990: la política de población y la fertilidad, el empleo de mujeres y la distancia entre derechos y practicas en la división de tareas domesticas, y la situación especifica en la República Checa.

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