'Many people look down on those who find child-rearing fulfilling' – Hungarian President Novák

We cannot effectively support women unless we take into account that most of them are mothers or will at some point become one," President of Hungary, Katalin Novák said at the annual meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York on Monday.

"Women have the privilege of giving life, of nurturing and caring for their young children. It is a privilege that most women want to enjoy," the President said. It is important that girls and women around the world be given the opportunity to make their own choices.

Katalin Novák believes that today, women in the western world have similar opportunities as men, "whether it be in education, in career, in advancement in the workplace, the real difference is whether or not we have children".

The President said that the traditional family, which is the basis of Judeo-Christian culture, is under attack and that the family and family values must be defended. "Unprecedented forces are working to break up families, destroy communities and discourage young people from having children. Families made up of a mother, a father and children are targeted, many people look down on those who find child-rearing fulfilling, many label family life as outdated."

President Novák also said that she believes there are many people attacking the family-centred Hungarian model, "trying to prevent us from deciding for ourselves how to bring up our children".

“We often have the feeling that those who want to raise our children are the ones who have decided not to have children themselves.”

She promised that "our children, our culture and our traditions" would be protected.

The Hungarian head of state also said that there was no life that war could justify the loss of. Quoting Pope Francis, she also stressed that there is no such thing as a just war. At the end of her address, she reiterated Hungary's firm commitment to peace. “We want peace! We Christians, we Hungarians, we mothers, we do not want to keep this war going, we want to end it!”

In 2020, when she was Minister for Famillies, the president made an appearance in an infotainment video about how women can be strong and successful, and how they can find fulfillment in their lives. You may read more about that here.