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IZOLDA TAKÁCS: THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY
This may have two theoretical reasons. As England sets out, one perspective
claims that women are streaming into certain professions in high numbers,
pushing down salaries, and that men abandon the profession. The other ex¬
planation claims, however, that women can only enter into professions men
are conceding to — particularly due to disadvantageous revenue possibilities
or diminishing social prestige.”
My superior was a man of course, but he had a lower level of education than me,
I already had my doctorate by then. I was sent a letter from the United States
offering the opportunity to take part in a conference. I never received that letter
and ultimately he (my superior) went in my stead. I know this because I received
an invitation from the States the next year as well, and the already opened letter
addressed to me was brought to my office by a secretary by mistake. So I got wind of
it, and of the fact that they had invited me the year before as well. When this came
up in discussion at some point in the 90s, my former superior told me “Juli, don’t be
mad, it was decreed like this back then, this was automatic, self-evident, who the hell
would have thought that all that, the entire system will come to an end anytime”.
(Subject no. 15, natural sciences)
There were absolutely no women among the leaders, cadres of economic¬
governmental hierarchy in the ’50s.°”° This changed somewhat later on, but the
proportion did not become significant among the decision-makers in the state
sector or with regards to party leadership and upper tier positions.
Examining the statistics of the time, it becomes clear that the percentage
of women among upper and mid-level leaders was 10 to 15% until 1972, after
which it grew to 24% in only 5 years. This was, however, depending on the
level and the sector. Thus, as Zsuzsa Ferge points out in her analysis, women
were still largely underrepresented in leadership or directorial circles, or in
the highest positions of party leadership. In other words, their proportion only
increased in the lower tiers by the ’70s.*#° Moreover, men managed to get into
upper level positions even in professions or organisations where women were
overrepresented.
If you look around in this institute [author's note: linguistic institute], you can al¬
most exclusively see women, hardly any male researchers. However, the leaders are
men, even here. (Subject no. 4, social sciences)
328 England quoted by Nagy, B.: Karrier nöi mödra, in Lévai, K. — Toth, I. (eds.): Szerepvaltoza¬
sok. Jelentés a nők és férfiak helyzetéről, Budapest, Tárki, 1997, 37.
329 Schadt: , A feltörekvő dolgozó nő", 53.
330 Ferge: Változik-e manapság, 892.
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