The report was published last month but had not come to public attention until a newspaper article was published on Thursday. “The phenomenon called ‘pink education’ has numerous economic and social consequences,” said the report by the state body, which is seen as close to nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. As in many countries, the teaching profession in Hungary is dominated by women, who represent 82% of the country’s teachers. “If education favors female characteristics,” such as “emotional and social maturity,” and “causes women to be overrepresented in universities, (gender) equality will be significantly weakened,” the report concludes. He warns that if boys, who he said are more inclined to be entrepreneurial and take risks, are not allowed to grow unfettered, they will be at risk of “mental and behavioral problems”. The report adds that the boyish traits of creativity and innovation are “necessary for optimal economic development”. The audit office says “pink education” could cause “demographic problems” as educated women would not be able to find similarly educated husbands, “which could lead to a decline in fertility”. In response, Hungarian opposition MP Endre Toth said on Facebook that the discussion of male and female qualities was “absolute scientific nonsense”. “It’s time to take off your glasses from the last century,” he added. Orbán has promoted a “conservative revolution” since returning to power in 2010, encouraging nativism and denigrating immigrants. He has also championed a controversial law banning LGBTQ content to minors. In 2019, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights noted “setbacks in women’s rights and gender equality in Hungary” after a visit. While Hungary recently elected Katalin Novák as its first female president, it has only one female minister, placing it second to last in the EU in terms of female representation in government.
