How Does America Adopt Hungary’s ‘Family-Friendly’ Policies to Reverse Declining Birthrates?
Shane Trejo
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America is in a demographic crisis that threatens the future of the country, as waves and waves of third-world immigrants pour across the U.S. southern border to replace old stock Americans. This will become a new country within decades unless drastic action is taken.
One of the more ideal solutions to America’s demographic problem is promoting “family-friendly” policies, which has been successfully undertaken by the nation of Hungary.
Hungary has received praise in the U.S. media, particularly from former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, for repelling the Left and instituting conservative policies that are in the national interest. Tünde Fűrész, President of The Mária Kopp Institute for Demography and Families, sat down with the Hungarian Conservative to describe the successes that the country has experienced crafting policies centered around protecting the family unit.
“We started our operations in 2018, the ‘Year of Families’, to contribute to the birth of all children being wished for in Hungary, finding the most appropriate and effective responses to our demographic challenges as well as making families maintain the nation stronger while making them grow even more,” Fűrész said of her thinktank’s work.
“Family policy and demography are not just one of the national strategic issues, but a common mission that defines our future in Hungary and in the world in the long term. Without laying down the foundations and promoting family-focused political thinking, without the protection and support of families and without a proper understanding of possible pathways to a demographic turn, it is inconceivable to build our common future and halt population decline,” she said.
The Hungarian government has embraced government incentives, giving subsidies for families to grow and thrive, including special tax breaks and other benefits. The results have been amazing.
“2010 marked a watershed in Hungary, bringing about a family-friendly turn in policymaking—that year marks the beginning of the decade in which families have become the nation’s most important asset. The intervention was already urgent around 2010 since that period marked a historic low both in terms of the number of marriages and the desire to have children. By 2017, the fertility rate had increased by 20 per cent and the number of weddings by 40 per cent,” Fűrész said.
“We have jumped to top third among the EU countries in this regard from being the Union’s tailenders. Due to the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic, the war and the failed Brussels sanctions, these numbers fell slightly in 2022, but if we look at the current situation from the perspective of a decade, the trend is certainly upward,” she added.
In order for America to replicate Hungary’s success, the Republican Party must reject free market orthodoxy and understand that government power can be used in certain ways to promote the common good, particularly when it comes to protecting families.
“Last year, the government spent 5.5 per cent of Hungary’s GDP on family support, meaning that in comparison, Hungary spends the most on family support within the European Union,” Fűrész said.
“he family policy helps those who work and bring up children—thereby engaging in activities useful for the community at large—to be financially better off than those who do not. That is why the multitude of measures aimed at the balance of work and family, primarily supporting and giving priority to mothers, are given a special role,” she added.
Fűrész’s full interview with the Hungarian Conservative can be seen here.
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