The Situation of Young Mothers in Changing Social and Economic Circumstances in Some Eastern European Countries

Abstract

In 2011, we conducted a comparative research study in the V4 countries and in Romania among young mothers who had given birth in the past up to three years prior. In consolidated historical periods, sweeping changes seldom occur over five years. However, noticing how the worldwide financial and economic crisis of 2007-2011 had a varying impact on the countries of the Eastern European region, we became interested in discovering how the social and economic changes influenced the working status of some young mothers and their health-related customs, including their physical activity, back pain, and smoking habits. In 2016, we had the chance to repeat the essence of the previous research in Hungary, Romania, and the Slovak Republic. The objective of this paper is to present the major results of the second study and compare them with the findings of our previous investigation. The methods used in the present research were borrowed from the previous one; the findings of the two investigations can thus be fairly compared. The results are presented according to the following sub-topics: the young mothers’ working status, use of childcare frequency of physical activity, presence of back pain, and smoking habits. In conclusion, it is stated that the relevant changes in the young mothers’ social and economic environment serve as a fair explanation for their changing situations in the studied countries.

Keywords

• young mothers
• working status
• physical activity
• back pain
• smoking habits