According to a nationwide, representative survey by Yettel[1], the belief that certain jobs are “for men” or “for women” is still deeply rooted in Hungarian society, with nearly 80% of respondents saying this remains true today. Men perceive this slightly more strongly than women: 84% of male respondents think this kind of distinction still exists, compared to 75% of women. At the same time, most people can also see progress: 79% believe that attitudes have become more flexible over the past 10-30 years, while 15% feel that little has changed.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
The survey also found that certain jobs are still clearly seen as “female” by many people – for example, beauticians or preschool teachers. Meanwhile, roles such as IT specialists, programmers, web designers, car mechanics, engineers, electricians, or military careers are typically viewed as “male.” There are also several professions that most people see as relatively gender-neutral, but still slightly skewed toward one gender. Roles such as company executive or CEO, police officer, chef, and software developer are more often perceived as male-leaning, while careers like nurse, accountant, HR professional, marketing specialist, and psychologist are more commonly seen as female-leaning.
It is particularly notable that even among 16-29-year-olds, the view that certain professions are more “male” or “female” is still quite strong. However, this is the group where the biggest shifts are visible. For example, 70% of younger respondents already see the data scientist role as gender-neutral, and the perception of software development is also less strongly skewed toward men compared to older age groups. The research also highlights that young people no longer see business leadership roles as a distinctly male domain.
Another interesting finding is that those over 60 are the most likely to consider career changes realistic. This may be because older generations can see from their own experience that a career path is not necessarily defined by a single decision, and that change can be a real option. According to Yettel, this is an important message for younger generations as well: your first choice doesn’t have to be final, and it’s worth staying open to new directions, especially in today’s fast-changing world.
“At Yettel, we also see clear examples that moving between different fields, reskilling, and even changing careers are no longer unusual, but are becoming a natural part of today’s labour market. We believe this mindset can empower young people too, helping them make bolder choices – even in areas that society still tends to associate with one gender. Our goal is to create a workplace and broader social environment where career choices are less and less defined by gender stereotypes, and increasingly shaped by individual interests, talent, and opportunities,” said Enikő Szalai, Chief HR Officer of Yettel Hungary.
Personal ambitions, family patterns, and the media also shape young girls’ choices
More than half of respondents believe that young girls’ career choices are primarily influenced by their own ambitions and individual talents (55%). However, family patterns and parental expectations (49%), as well as labour market opportunities and salary prospects (48%), play almost as important a role. The influence of media, social media, and influencers is also significant: 41% of respondents say these factors have a notable impact on young people’s career choices. According to Yettel, the more open mindset of younger generations could significantly reshape the labour market in the long term. However, for real change to happen, it is not enough for the social perception of certain professions to become more flexible. It is also important that more girls choose these paths at the earliest decision points. At Yettel, they see that young women are not necessarily held back by a lack of courage. Instead, the career paths they can imagine “for themselves” is often decided very early in their lives.
“Our experience shows that gender balance within companies is not a black-and-white issue. While our overall workforce broadly reflects the gender distribution of Hungarian society, there are still noticeable differences across specific professional domains. Women are more strongly represented in brand and marketing communications, HR, and customer service, while men are in majority in AI and data-related fields, as well as in digital and technical roles. This is exactly why we are consciously working to change this, and to ensure that technology and engineering careers are seen as attractive and realistic paths for girls as well,” added Enikő Szalai.
This is why initiatives that offer tangible, real-life examples are especially important in showing that young women have a place in technology and digital fields. That’s also why Yettel is joining the Girls’ Day program organised by the Association of Hungarian Women in Science for the fifth time. This year’s event will take place on 23 April and, over the past 15 years, it has become the country’s largest career orientation program dedicated to girls. For more information please visit https://lanyoknapja.hu/programlista/.
[1] The survey was conducted on a sample of 1,579 respondents by Europion (https://europion.hu/) using mobile and web app-based data collection in February 2026 in February 2026. The sample is representative of Hungary’s population aged 16 and over by gender, age, education level, type of residence, and geographic location. The survey has a margin of error of ±2.3%, meaning the reported percentages may differ by up to this amount from the results of a full population survey.