Tango dancers in Buenos Aires
At the beginning of February we have met Clara Muzzio, Deputy Chief of Government of the Argentinian capital, Buenos Aires, during her presentation at the Mathias Corvinus Collegium in Budapest. Her topic was the all too familiar struggle with low birthrates across her country, and her government’s policies aimed at helping families with children. We have asked Ms. Muzzio to give her take on these pressing issues, as well as her first impressions of Hungary’s family policy measures.
In Budapest you have given a presentation about the Buenos Aires government’s policies aimed at improving demographic growth. What have you taken home from Hungary in terms of new ideas about incentivizing young women, or even man towards, having children?
The trip to Hungary was very important in placing a global perspective on an issue we have been highlighting in Buenos Aires as crucial for the future. Buenos Aires is the city with the lowest birth rate in Argentina (o.9 TFR, ed. note), and when we first raised this problem it seemed like a distant concern, but it is essential to recognize that it is a global challenge. The purpose of this trip was to meet with other experts and leaders who consider this issue a priority, to gather information and to learn from their experiences — that goal was fully achieved.
Clara Muzzio in Budapest. Photo: Photo: Hungary Today
What new measures did you introduce in Buenos Aires that have, in your experience, brought the best results? Do you have any policies at that you could recommend for us?
The first and most fundamental step was to place this issue on the public agenda. Just a year and a half or two years ago, the topic was not considered important, it was absent from the media, and no political leader was talking about it. We carried out significant work in that regard, and today there is widespread awareness of this reality. Hungary’s case is one of the most interesting ones because of the policies the government has implemented. I believe that in such complex scenarios we must remain open to all kinds of solutions and be pragmatic.
After the Orbán’ government’s introduction of generous economic incentives towards young people, we have seen an initial boost in fertility. However, since then the numbers have fallen slightly, we have not been able to reach the 2.0 children per couple replacement levels. These policies though made life easier for those who have already decided to have kids. Do you think we are losing this battle?
I would not say that Hungary is losing this battle — not at all. It is one of the few countries in the world that has managed to reverse this trend.
Although it is true that the progress has stalled in recent years, the policies did work, which is a very encouraging sign.
Buenos Aires. Photo: Pixabay
There is a fairly wide consensus among experts about what is happening: too many young women do not want children, or want to leave it too late. Yet we simply do not have a uniting cause that would explain this behavior. Countries with very different economic levels of development, very different political or ideological profile, all show the same issue. Do you have a theory of your own?
Indeed, there is no single cause, and therefore there is no single solution. We must try everything.
I believe that the most important aspect — because it requires more time — is to confront the ideas that promote an anti-child narrative, the feminist discourse that misleads women into believing that becoming mothers is a form of self-renunciation.
While this occurs in countries with different income levels and different political orientations in their governments, woke ideology and feminist narratives are present throughout the West, and we must confront them.
Let us talk a little about the Hungarian community in Argentina. In Buenos Aires, you have Plaza Hungría, inaugurated in 2004, with the bust of our first king, St. Stephen. The famous inventor of the ballpen, Bíró László József (Ladislao José Biro) has had his first successes with his invention in Argentina. There is a Hungarian scout group, and even a Hungarian library in the capital. Have you had a chance to get to know Hungarians in the capital?
I have not had the opportunity yet, but I would certainly be delighted — both personally and institutionally — to strengthen this bond with such a rich culture and a nation so influential in European history.
In recent years many of them have moved to Hungary because of the economic situation. They have brought back with them the love for Argentina and its culture, among them Tango. In fact we have a skilled Tango dancer here at Hungary Today. We have a lot in common and a lot to share. What can you do at your office to make these ties stronger with policies, to incentivize the flow of ideas, business, tourism and even political ties among our nations?
During my visit we opened a channel of cooperation with MCC that will be very valuable and that we hope to deepen, as well as with the Maria Kopp Institute for Demography and Families. We share a common agenda and an interest in the same issues.
Unfortunately, one of the saddest aspects of the Kirchnerist (Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, ed. note) period in Argentina was the wave of emigration—both of young Argentines and of foreigners who had chosen our country to build their lives and who, frustrated, decided to return to their homelands. This trend has been reversing in recent years, with many people coming back and others strengthening their ties with the country and the city by investing and developing long-term projects. As this process of greater freedom, openness to the world, and economic predictability continues to consolidate, I am certain that this positive trend will deepen even further.
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The post Low Birth Rates Must be Top of the Agenda, Warns Argentinian Politician after Budapest Visit appeared first on Hungary Today.
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