SIE TEAM PAPER ASSIGNMENT: BUDAPEST AND PRAGUE 1

SIE Team Paper Assignment: Budapest and Prague

Alex Chace and Silvestro Conte
Bryant University
SIE TEAM PAPER ASSIGNMENT: BUDAPEST AND PRAGUE 2

One week out from departure to Budapest and Prague, I still struggled to grasp onto a

sense of what the cultures I were about to embark upon were like. Being raised in a traditionalist

Italian family and having only been overseas once before to visit the land of my ancestors, there

was nothing for me to compare it to. Frankly, the only schema I could draw upon about

Hungarian and Czech people came from American media such as the movie The Usual Suspects.

The antagonist of this movie is a Hungarian crime boss that commits atrocious acts like killing

his own family to stay in power. This film, along with war movies and even education topics on

European history, brought me to develop a uniform understanding of all these cultures as being

the post-communist Soviet Union. My perception was shaped to see these countries cultures’ as

having a high power distance and a masculine culture. This perception was altered upon my first-

hand experiences. Seeing these cultural dimensions manifested in real-world situations, the

perception given off was of Hungary as a relatively low power distance and masculine culture

compared to the Czech Republic as a high power distance and feminine culture.

My perception would be shaped for a final time, just days before my departure, at an

unsuspecting hair appointment. My regular hairdresser was on vacation, so I was assigned to

another woman named Alex. Within minutes of meeting her, I learned that her full name was

Олександра, or Alexandra. She is a Jewish Ukrainian women who had immigrated to the United

States within the past thirty years to seek asylum from the then encroaching Russian government.

As soon as she discovered that I would be traveling to Eastern Europe, she was eager to open up

about her experiences and bestow advice upon me. Alex both traveled and worked all over the

region, including Hungary and the Czech Republic, in the night club scene. Looking at the lines

on her face, I could not even imagine what she has lived through under the deep rooted

masculine Soviet culture. She appeared to be a hardened woman, shaped by the masculine
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culture of the Ukraine. The deeper we engaged in conversation, the more I was able to peer into

her warm-hearted nature. What she told me surrounded the cultural dimension of a high power

distance of the area. She explained it is run by a government trying to centralize power and

whose efforts is backed by an oligarchy.

Alex continued on to describe the damaging effects that a society of a large power

distance has on its people. The most profound statement she had was that people who are poor

are angry. The country people living in poverty look at the grossly opulent castles and lifestyles

of aristocrats and see hypocrisy. While they are left hungry and penniless, their government

spends millions on building up its empire. The money is there, yet the government adverts its

attention from its people. This is done purposefully so that those in power may maintain it.

Shalini Sarin Jain, Assistant professor of management at the University of Washington, reports,

“High [power distance beneficiary] individuals are likely to endorse restricted information access

which helps maintain the power distance between the ‘higher ups’ and ‘lower downs.’ Low

power distance cultures reject a hierarchical system as it disadvantages some groups while

advantaging others. Consequently, low [power distance beneficiary] individuals should endorse

more open and wider access to information; in their worldview, such an arrangement will

maintain the desired flat hierarchy” (Jain, 2018, pg. 137). By widening the gap, they are able to

keep their people in poverty.

Those who want cultural change have no access to a platform in order to do so. Tiffany

Rinne, Research Associate at the University of Lincoln, emphasizes, “High power distance

nations are more autocratic and individuals are more willing to accept differences in power and

wealth. Low power distance nations value equality among their members and encourage

democratic forms of participation” (Rinne, 2012, pg. 96). Alex explain to me those in poverty
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will have displaced anger. They will look at American students having a good time and will be

jealous as they are reminded of the state of destitution they are left in due to the high power

distance. Because of this, Alex said that I may encounter situations where they will want to take

their anger out on us. She directed to me that if this happens, I should just take my friends and

leave. The most important piece of advice that was bestowed upon me was to remember that the

reasons for their action is not because of the place they live in, but because of those who run it

keeping them oppressed.

In regards to power distance, Hungarian culture differed from Czech culture. While both

have Nazi and Soviet pasts, their governments and cultures differ. In Budapest, I observed that

the physical presence of the government offices were scattered throughout the city. However, in

Prague most of the main government offices worked out of Prague Castle with numerous guards

armed with assault rifles. This outward display of power felt surreal to me because it reminded

me of a medieval king in a castle or the Pope in the Vatican. I felt that this visual display of

power centralized in one place creates a precedence of an authoritarian regime. Their existed a

ruler and his subjects, with no one in between. This exclusivity keeps the locals suppressed from

having the ability to be an agent of change. In Budapest however, I did not feel a substantial

authoritative presence outside of the Hungarian Parliament. While in Prague, the castle

physically looked down on the whole city. But in Budapest, the city was dominated by local

people. While walking out into a side street, I sensed that the Hungarian government rule faded

away leaving the local society to govern itself.

While also at looking power distance, I saw major differences in how each culture

handled their pasts. The Czech culture seemed not as open about the truth Czech’s roles in both

communist and Nazi fascist involvement. By covering up these scandals and keeping historical
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facts in the dark, they are attempting to keep their power legitimate through misinformation to

the Czech public; thus keeping a larger power distance. While in Budapest, one of the things that

I remember from the Holocaust Memorial was that Germany was portrayed as the vicious eagle,

attacking the archangel Gabriel who symbolized the Hungarian people. While in reality, many

Hungarians worked with the Germans to hunt Jews and other “undesirable” people in their own

country. I found it remarkable that the Hungarian people built a counter-memorial out of respect

for innocents who died. The most iconic piece of the counter-memorial was a sign that was in

English that said “My mother was killed in Auschwitz. Thank you ‘Archangel’ Gabriel.” This

was just one of many examples at the counter-memorial as to how the Hungarian culture is able

to be truthful about the horrors in their past even in opposition of their own government; while

the Czech culture showed indications of this.

On the final aspect of power distance in both Czech and Hungarian cultures, each culture

differed in regards to parenting and the disciplining of children and how that relates to power

distance. Cultures with larger power distances have the value of obedience instilled in their

children while cultures with smaller power distances tend to treat their children as equals. I

noticed substantial differences from what I observed between the two cultures as to how children

were treated. For example, when I was doing my photo assignment in Budapest, I noticed in a

playground that was behind me that the parents of the children playing were sitting on a bench,

not active in what the children were doing. While it was not like the parents did not care about

their kids, it was more like they took a more hands-off and relaxed approach to parenting that

allowed the kids to be able to make mistakes and learn from them on their own. This ability to

treat the young children not as adolescents but in parallel to themselves clearly displayed

characteristics of a small power distance in Hungarian culture.

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In Prague however I noticed various differences in parenting styles from Hungarian

culture that showed aspects of large power distance. I also noticed common traits among Czech

parents during my photo assignment such as a stricter parenting style that showed both parents

taking an active role in keeping their child from misbehaving. One couple that I noticed walked

on either side of their child that was around six years old. Each parent held onto the child’s hand

to keep him from running away. Even as I was walking back to the hotel, I saw two parents

walking on the sidewalk with their children walking in front of them. They were in a harness

which stunned me because I have never seen a parent put something like that on a child. Both of

these instances expressed a large power distance within the Czech culture to keep their children

in-line and in accordance with norms.

When looking into the masculinity of the culture, it can be described best as having an

admiration for strength. This coincides with the cultural characteristics of assertiveness and a

driven work ethic. Considering that both of these countries have a history of overcoming

struggles such as both being on the losing side in World War I, both being occupied and

oppressed by the Nazis in World War II, and being under Soviet Russian influence for much of

the rest of the century. These countries cultures evolved to admire strength through all of the

troubling circumstances that they found themselves in and have tried to suppress certain

attributes that threaten their already very firm beliefs. According to Willem A. Arrindell,

Psychological Researcher at the University of Groningen, “The sociocultural contingencies that

reward masculine attitudes and behaviors, while punishing nonmasculine attitudes and behaviors,

result in the development of masculine cognitive schemata in the vast majority of men”

(Arrindell, 2013, pg. 15). After decades of growing and protecting the respective masculine
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cultures of both the Czech Republic and Hungary, these cultures are more than willing to have a

disdain for what could be considered weak.

Cultures with feminine attributes, however, are not confined by the rigid rules of

masculinity and have a different set of values that are opposite of admiration of strength.

Feminine cultures value what they feel works best for the individual. Feminine cultures do not

restrain an individual to what society demands of them. They are able to choose their own role

and path. Martin Eisemann, Professor of Psychology at the University of Tromsø, asserts,

“Compared to masculine countries, the more feminine ones would offer both sexes, especially

women, greater opportunities for the fulfillment of multiple social roles (employment, marriage,

parenthood). Gender role inequalities between spouses too have been found to be associated with

unhappiness” (Eisemann, 2004, pg. 631). These cultures give an individual the freedom of

choice for their own destiny.

Previous to setting out abroad, learning Hofstede’s cultural dimensions during lectures, I

assumed that it was easy to determine Hungary and the Czech Republic’s cultural dimensions; I

determined them to be both masculine cultures. However, the more we ventured into the trip

seeing these cultures first-hand, the more I found it evident that there was an existences of

variation. Aspects of femininity in the Czech Republic were relatively different to Hungarian

masculinity.

The first aspect of masculine culture that was observed on the trip was the maximum

differentiation in the roles of both genders. Both Hungarian and Czech cultures displayed typical

gender roles in regard to the occupations of those we interacted with throughout the trip. One

observation was that all of the police and security I had seen in both countries were entirely

male. Specifically, at the Hungarian parliament, the changing of the guards who protected crown
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were all males. More noticeably, while the tour guide showed the statues of the royal Hungarian

leaders surrounding the dome, he spoke at length about the kings’ history. But, when he went on

to speak about the sole queen, the only remark he made was that she gave birth to many children.

Overall, during my time in Budapest, most of the occupations that I had seen Hungarian women

taking part in were typical female roles such as: waitressing, bartending, housekeeping, cashiers,

and receptionists.

On the contrary, I feel that in Prague there was much more of a feminine mixture of

gender roles between men and women. Unlike Budapest, I saw women occupying higher

regarded positions such as our tour guide; in my opinion, she was the best tour guide on the trip.

One of the more remarkable things that I noticed in regards to gender happened when I was

working on my photo assignment. I observed multiple different younger couples that disregarded

typical gender roles in parenting, having a feminine outlook. Each set of parents were taking

equal responsibility for watching and holding onto their younger children. The combined

involvement of both mothers and fathers in their children’s lives leads me to believe that Czech

culture is more feminine than Hungarian culture.

The second aspect of masculine culture that I noticed was the level of assertiveness that I

experienced in both Hungarian and Czech cultures. In this context, assertive refers to both

confident and forthright. These traits were in both cultures, especially when I underwent sales

transactions. For example, one night in Budapest while out with a large group at Pointer’s Pub, a

waitress grabbed my arm. After I paid and was leaving, she reached out and held on saying

“Make sure the rest pay the bill their bill or else the last one who leaves will pay! You tell them

that!” All of a sudden, I noticed the other waitresses at the bar had diverted their attention toward

me with an angry and aggressive look on their faces. Clearly caught off-guard and intimidated, I
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made sure to tell those still at the bar to pay their tabs. Throughout the rest of my time in

Budapest, we encountered many restaurant workers that seemed very watchful of us; noticeably

paying close attention when we were splitting bills. They seemed concerned that we were not

going to pay. Many Hungarian workers seemed defensives of the places they worked in, which

was evident in my encounter at Pointer’s Pub.

While both cultures had masculine assertive tendencies, it appeared to me that the Czech

people we encountered were not nearly as firm as the Hungarians. While I still experienced

assertiveness with the Czech people, they were much politer about it. For example, when our

large restaurant group asked for separate checks, the waitress said that she had to ask if she could

do so. Upon returning, she said that we could; however, our entire group had to stand in an

orderly single file line to pay for our bills individually with the waitress watching us. While they

were kinder, we were still required to do this by their rules. Even in one of the more exclusive

shops that I shopped in in Prague, I still noticed a few employees standing beside the cashier

while checking out. While I feel the Czech culture was subtler about their assertiveness, they

were still firm in their interactions with us. However, they were not nearly as assertive as I felt

the Hungarian culture was.

The final point I would like to make about the masculinity of both these cultures is the

response of these cultures to poverty and the distinction between them. Geert Hofstede

concluded that “In masculine society, poverty is blamed on laziness” (Hofstede, 2014). With this

in mind, I witnessed how both Hungarian and Czech cultures view their impoverished very

differently. Every day on the streets of Budapest, I witnessed a vast amount of beggars that

stretched out their hands and asked for anything that people were willing to give. Every night I

saw many sleeping on benches and in doorways for shelter with no sign of any aid from other
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Hungarians or the government. This presented a clear disdain in the Hungarian culture for those

in poverty. Even on the tours that Aaron gave of Budapest, as progressive as he was, to my

recollecting he never actually brought up the poverty issues that was clearly around us. The

observations made lead me to believe that the Hungarian cultural distance for those in poverty

display the country’s masculine culture in comparison to the Czech Republic.

Diversely, in Prague I noticed a different relationship between the homeless and the

Czech culture. In general, I saw substantially less people that appeared to be in poverty. For

those who did appear to be in poverty, I witnessed Czech-speaking people giving them money

and helping them. One night while I was out in to the early hours of the morning, I saw a police

car and an ambulance carry a man off the street that was clearly homeless. This was vastly

different cultural experience compared to what I had in Budapest. This was the most feminine

attribute the Czech culture had. Thus, the Czech culture is less masculine than Hungarian culture

as there is a noticeable difference between the two.

As Hofstede affirms that the current state of a country’s cultural dimensions is due to its

rooted history, I am able to understand why Hungary and the Czech Republic are dominantly

masculine. Undergoing two eras of war, communism, and a still relevant shadow government,

they have faced their struggles. However, as two separate countries, they differ in the shift of

their dimensions toward the future. While Hungarian people still live a tough and closed

masculine life, the Czech people were noticeably more feminine, being warm and open.

Furthermore, while both countries have ties to being controlled by the Soviet Union, the Czech

Republic has a visibly larger current power distance. Prague castle is a real-world metaphor of

how the government continues to try and centralize power. In Hungary, the government’s power

felt more disjointed. Overall, the biggest message that I have come to realize from this
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experience is the power of the younger generation to be agents in shifting an entire culture.

While both countries have power struggles and have locals appear very masculine, I observed

something very different in the younger generation. The impact of globalization through social

media has given them access to the information government tries to restrict from them. This has

brought them to be global citizens, actively speaking out against the government, demanding real

social action. While the cultural dimensions of a country are rooted in its history, its future is left

to be shaped by the hands of the youth. In fact, history is not set in stone, but instead in clay that

can be molded into the vision of the artist.

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Works Cited
Arrindell, W. A., van Well, S., Kolk, A. M., Barelds, D. H., Oei, T. S., & Lau, P. Y. (2013).
Higher levels of masculine gender role stress in masculine than in feminine nations: A
thirteen-nations study. Cross-Cultural Research: The Journal of Comparative Social
Science, 47(1), 51-67. doi:10.1177/1069397112470366. Retrieved from EBSCO
database.
Eisemann, M., Oei, T. P., Arrindell, W., Caballo, V. E., Sanavio, E., Sica, C., & van der Ende,
J. (2004). Phobic anxiety in 11 nations: part II. Hofstede's dimensions of national cultures
predict national-level variations. Personality and Individual Differences, 37(3), 627-643.
doi:10.1016/j.paid.2003.11.002. Retrieved from EBSCO database.
Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede Model in Context. Online
Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1). doi:10.9707/2307-0919.1014
Hofstede, G. (2014, November 28). 10 Minutes with Geert Hofstede on Masculinity versus.
Femininity [Interview]. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
Jain, S. S., & Jain, S. P. (2018). Power distance belief and preference for transparency. Journal
of Business Research, 89135-142. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.04.016. Retrieved from
EBSCO database.
Rinne, T., Steel, G. D., & Fairweather, J. (2012). Hofstede and Shane revisited: The role of
power distance and individualism in national-level innovation success. Cross-Cultural
Research: The Journal of Comparative Social Science, 46(2), 91-108.
doi:10.1177/1069397111423898. Retrieved from EBSCO database.