On Sunday, May 14, Mother's Day was observed around the world. In the former Czechoslovakia, Mother's Day became better known in the early 1920s thanks to Alice Masaryk, daughter of President Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, who was a well-known fighter for improving the social situation and education of women. In the second half of the 20th century, the countries of the former socialist bloc used to mark International Women's Day (8 March) instead of Mother's Day, which started to be celebrated after 1989. Since 2004, the Union of Maternity Centres has been organising a nationwide campaign called 'A Mile for Mum'. It is known as the biggest celebration of Mother's Day in Slovakia.
Saturday's Mile for Mum event attracted 11,813 participants, including those from Dublin, Ireland and the Czech Republic, who "donated" 18,900 kilometres to mothers. The 20th edition was held in the spirit of the slogan "I too can change the world for the better".
In Slovakia, up to 74 % of women over the age of 15 have become mothers in their lifetime. This stems from the 2021 Population Census as its spokesperson Jasmina Stauder reported on the occasion. Women residents of the Slovak Republic are most often parents of two children. "More than 35 % of women over the age of 15 have just given birth to two live-born children. Mothers with one live-born child make up more than 17 percent of women over the age of 15, and so the one-child model is now the second most common type of motherhood," Stauder said.
However, even six years after the birth of a child, mothers earn about one-third less than childless women. This is according to an analysis by the Institute for Financial Policy, which recommends encouraging mothers to return to work - for example, through flexible employment. Employers do not share this view.
Source: RTVS, TASR
