The power of theoretical models to explain the presence of women in the labour market based upon a survey of Eastern Hungarian women

Absztrakt

Over the past few years the career path of women has changed and there is a demand for a different and integrated life. The importance of family life and the desire to create harmony between work and family has increased. Today few women decidet o totally dedicae their life to a maternal role and liewise to totally dedicate their life to a career in the labour market Rather a preference to have both is typical even if it may be accompanied by economic loss, differences in norms over time but clearly may express their desire for greater self-fulfillment. This article focuses on when women with young children return to the labor market after childcare leave, and what factors influence their decision. The topic is approached multidisciplinally as it has legal, anthropological, biological, psychological, pedagogical, economical and sociological implications. This paper introduces the most important results of the research. The main question of the study is if it is the sociological or the economic models/theories that can explain the return of women raising young children to the labour market. After introducing the sociological and economic theories related to the women’s labour market participation, the paper will focus on the question whether the economic or the sociological theories explain it in a more decisive way. This conclusion is based on the results of the empirical work of the author.