Social Processes Affecting the Families in Rural Hungary

Rural poverty appears in several European regions, particularly in post-socialist countries effected by a rapid transformation of socioeconomic system. In the past decade, rural regions may have reacted to challenges of contradictory processes. Migration trends are heterogeneous; unemployment, underemployment and lack of labour power are existing problems at the same time, in the same locality. In addition, the nature of poverty has changed recently. Traditional forms of pauperization are combined with helplessness and inability for future planning and saving up. Goods and status symbols of the consumer society have high importance in families with low incomes and high debt. The aim of this paper is to describe some crucial processes triggering the transformation of family life in rural Hungary by means of a qualitative research conducted in the South Transdanubian region of Hungary. We explored the actual problems and challenges from the viewpoints of local experts (social workers and mayors) and mothers from families connected to local social systems. We also aim to examine family attitudes to labour market, services and consumption, the most important factors effecting socioeconomic conditions of deprived social groups.