Both Female and Male Perspectives Are Needed, President Insists

MTI-Hungary Today 2023.06.29.

In order to increase the active role of women, we need to make public life more attractive, and to do this it is important to treat each other with respect, even if we disagree – was one of the points stressed by President of the Republic Katalin Novák on Wednesday in Terény, on the third day of her visit to Nógrád county.

At a meeting with female mayors, the Head of State said that “everyone should have the opportunity to line up at the starting line.” She added that

if there are no women with the same skills and experience as men working in similar fields, knowledge and inspiration cannot be drawn from them.”

Katalin Novák referred to it as ‘encouraging’ that more women than men are graduating from universities in Hungary today, adding that it was important that there should be no irreconcilable conflict between family life and professional life. The President also stressed that “if we try to assert ourselves against each other, we will never get anywhere,” and that in public life, as in the family, both the male and female perspectives and roles are needed.

Fact

President Novák visited the northern county of Nógrád this week as part of her countrywide tour. As she said, this visit was special, because for the first time her office, the Sándor Palace, was relocated there; there were decisions being made from Alsópetény and meetings where all participants came from Budapest. She recalled that she started the countrywide tour to the counties to draw attention to the richness of Hungary: not only is the country rich in natural treasures, but also in valuable people. The aim of these visits is also to focus on the periphery, on areas that receive less attention in everyday life.

Novák also spoke at the event about meeting strong women in Nógrád. She added that

female leaders often have to solve the same conflicts they have to manage in the family, with compromise and empathy essential in both areas.

The president thanked the participants of the meeting for taking the lead in a community, helping to build strong communities in Nógrád, where “life is not easy.” She added that she would like more people to see Nógrád county as a hidden resource, a treasure trove with much to discover.

During her stay, Novák visited Alsópetény, the Civitas Fortissima monument in Balassagyarmat, the Reménysugár Children’s Home, met kindergarten children in the traffic education park, and got to know the work of the county’s only mill in Szécsény.

She also traveled to the county seat, Salgótarján, and to the national shrine in Mátraverebély-Szentkút. Furthermore, the president visited gypsy Roma in Sóshartyán, and took a look at the work of the House of Presence, with her program in Nógrád ending in Hollókő on Wednesday.

Nógrád is the fifth county the president visited, after Somogy, Győr-Moson-Sopron, Komárom-Esztergom, and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg counties. Novák’s aim is to visit all 19 counties in Hungary during her presidency.

President Novák to Work from Countryside in the Coming Days

Nógrád is the fifth county visited by Katalin Novák since announcing her aim to visit all 19 counties during her presidency.Continue reading

Featured photo via MTI/Komka Péter