Changing roles of ethnic Hungarian women in Transcarpathia, Western Ukraine

This talk brings into the spotlight ethnic Hungarian women who stayed in their homeland, Transcarpathia, Western Ukraine, after the full-scale invasion of Russia in 2022. It aims to show what kind of (im)mobility-based coping strategies families develop and how the role of women changes in this process. In Transcarpathia, transnational circular migration has been an integral part of families' survival strategies for decades, resulting in gender and age imbalance, especially in rural areas. With the ongoing war in Ukraine, many families have separated: men liable to military service either left or decided not to return to Transcarpathia, while women and older adults who stay put face increased responsibilities at home and within the community. Women took over many tasks, some previously considered ‘men’s duty’ in the family, entailing significantly increased mobility and the acquisition or reactivation of skills, resources, and networks. Women act in multiple roles in the family that are often construed in patriarchal terms, internalized by generations of women, and only occasionally questioned

This talk has been delivered as part of the international online talk series DEMFAM Thursday Talks. Rethinking Parenthood in Central and Eastern Europe: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives organized by the ERC-Project Democratising the Family? Gender Equality, Parental Rights and Child Welfare in Contemporary Global History.