P R E S S R E L E A S E
NOE launches comprehensive research for university students to have children
The National Association of Large Families (NOE) is conducting a wide-ranging survey to explore the opinions, plans and fears of higher education students about having children. The project, supported by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme, aims to gain an in-depth understanding of the factors that influence students’ decisions to have children and to make professional recommendations to higher education institutions and policy-makers to increase the propensity to have children.
In the first phase of the research, project staff will assess students’ life circumstances, priorities and challenges related to having children through focus group discussions. In the second and third phases, they will analyse administrative data and documents from participating institutions and interview teachers to identify best practices already in place and formulate possible ways of extending them, with new suggestions.
Katalin Kardosné Gyurkó, President of the NOE, said: “This project offers a unique opportunity to understand students’ childbearing patterns and to create an environment where starting a family is not a barrier but can be part of the university years.”
This will involve not only identifying but also analysing in detail the barriers that prevent students from having children, whether it is financial difficulties, time constraints, inflexible study requirements or societal expectations. The partner institutions of the research include Károli Gáspár Reformed University, Selye János University, Ferenc Rákóczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian College and Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, who are actively involved in the research, providing the necessary data and participants.
This comprehensive research is not only intended to directly support students, but also to contribute to the long-term solution of the demographic challenges in the country. Professional recommendations based on the results can help higher education institutions to provide a more supportive and flexible educational environment for students with families.
“The NOE is committed to working to create a supportive and inclusive environment for students with families, helping them to start a family and successfully combine higher education studies.” – adds Katalin Kardosné Gyurkó. Through the Erasmus+ project, the association can further strengthen its role in supporting students’ family formation and develop proposals that can make a real difference to the functioning of higher education institutions and to the lives of students. The experiences and results of the research will be published by the NOE on a dedicated website, where all the results of the project will be available.
Budapest, 24 May 2024.
