THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN POLAND

I am Polish, and I live in Canada. I must say in Poland many women starve themselves just to be a size 0 or 2. It is not healthy and as a young women myself I find that troubling. I got insulted from someone for being a size 6 when I was in Poland. Men in Poland have created bad expectations of women. Women are suppose to be subordinate, playful,housewives, have babies, and take care of the home. They are not expected to reach a high education status and when they get pregnant out of wedlock they are expected to marry the baby's father whether or not they love the guy. They also spend too much money buying facial products and on their cell phone and clothes and not investing in a future like getting to the Jagiellonian University or the University of Warsaw or being an international student at a Univeristy in the UK,Canada or US. Most polish women that do finish high school in Poland go to private universities/colleges where they pay 5000 zlote-10000 zlote a year and get no where in life, no career, no English, French, German or Spanish language skills and NO EMPLOYMENT. Many women in small villages believe in Poland you have to be a genious to study at such places. No wonder only 33% of Polish women in Poland work outside the home and only 37% of young women know how to operate a Computer and Internet in Poland. It is really hard also to find a child who has a mother's lastname or both their mother's/father's lastnames in Poland. Even if the mother is unmarried the child must have the father's last name if the women gets child support for him, in Canada last name makes no difference even if a child has a mother's last name the man still has to pay child support. In many small towns women are not allowed to read in church, altar girls are a no no, and nor are women allowed to pass out communion, communion on the hand is rarely accepted. The Church in Poland is still very conservative and this has not helped the situation. Since the fall of communism crime rate and violent crime have sky rocketed, child abductions and abuse are more common, and women are more likely to be victims of domestic violence and have to stay with men who beat them because what they earn now comparing to the cost of living they would not be able to surive on 1000-2000 zlote monthly salary in big cities like Krakow or Warsaw. Many women put up through domestic violence and unfaithful husbands because usually unless they are rich they cannot afford to get their own place to live. That means sharing a 3 bedroom flab with their inlaws or having their own floor in a house they share with their in-laws. This means no privacy for the majority of small town Polish women and being under control of not only the husband, but the mother-in law as well. Most Polish women are not beautiful because they do not feel beautiful on the inside, because they have to act beautiful on the outside when in reality they are hurting, frustrated and in pain on the inside. True beauty comes in a society when women are truely independent things where they can have access to child care, housing, child support, employment without being discriminated against by the majority of polish males. And women are worth more then the colour of their hair, their size and body shape, then the number of children they may have and whether or not they are married. Womoen become beautiful only if society truely treats them as beautiful beings and this is not the case yet in most Central European countries.

Maxine

But the majority of divorced women in Poland remain the primary caregivers for their children, while in the US they split the kids between both parents. Even when the baby is nursing , they will take it away from the mother so the "x" can have it also, just so he doesn't have to pay child support, and how the hell is he gonna nurse a 3 month old baby?? American laws are unfair for children. They have no respect for women and children.
At least in Poland they have respect for a mother and child.

Here is my quick comment.
I can agree with Maxine's points about the housing situation, but most women I know are the "bosses" of a houshold, which includes decisions about money, furnishings or vacations, even though the husband might be bringing in more money. Also, what's with the size 0 or 2? I think size 8 or 10 are more common (unlike American average of 14).
Yes, Polish women enjoy looking nice and would not go out looking unkempt and wearing wrinkled clothes. They are just selfconscious of their looks and elegant. Nothing wrong with that. I think, keeping father's last name for a child is more cultural than mandatory nowadays. As to the internet? Lots of people still can not afford a computer at home, but they are using it at work and quite capably (my nieces).
The catholic church is very conservative and is known for not making women a part of the service. Not only in Poland. So, it's not a Polish woman issue. Hopefully, it will change some day.

Child abductions and abuse are not more common but rahther less thanks to new legislation, more education and media attention that brings the issue up actually. The same goes probably for domestic violence issues. Some neigbours, witnesses and victims are calling police and they are better equipped to help.
Over all many are getting better of in Pl so more women are able to live on their own in big cities, certainly more then ever before.
(not to argue main thesis in your post which I consider valid but rather want to stress improvement where obiously visible)

Give us your source of information. You do have one, right?




Don't tell me, mother-in-low is just another tool of polish male oppression against polish women? Come to think of it, I'm sure that every mother-in-law is actually a man in disguise that helps to defend the patriarchic system in Poland.



Again, what's your source of information?
According to the European Commission rapport from the last year it's 46% and not 33% like you stated. The percentage of women among managers in Poland is even slightly higher then the average EU which is 32%. Also women in EU tend to earn 15% less than their male counterparts, while in Poland it's 10%. The situation isn’t perfect, but it isn't much worse than in the rest of Europe.



Don't forget that women are also a part of this society. If I was given 1zł every time I hear from a man that he is sick and tired of his girlfriend's/wife's diet I would be I would be a lucky owner of a beautiful flat in Krakow.

thats the same all over the world, not just in Poland in the UK we have 9 year old anorexics....it's society

bollix! pick any country in the world and you can find any statistic to support women are an under appreciatted being.

It is unfair to single out poland. my experiences have been that its very equal and agree with the statement that she is the boss in the home! i live in a house of 4 men and my mother is definitly the boss hehe!!

and in poland the same! my gf (girlfriend) for eg is doing a masters in university and so are here friends!

you could take that speech of yours and erase the word poland and insert any freaking country!!! but its not as bad as you make it out in the EU

Poland respects women more than the US. Another example : Women in Poland retire at an earlier age (55) than men, while in the US it is the same age for both, 65

yes, but they also receive a smaller pension due to a shorter period of contibution

Wow ... size two ... in my dreams! I have my Dad's "big Polish build" ... even if I chose to starve myself, the smallest I could probably get down to is a size 8.

Maxine, I know what you're talking about ... I was born/raised in Canada; my Polish grandparents have lived here for 50 years. I'm studying Anthropology, aiming for Family Law, and then hopefully going back for my Anthro Ph.D ... My grandfather decided that I had had enough education by the time I was 15, and started to set me up with "nice Polish boys" ... He even got mad at my parents for not pushing me to wed. It didn't matter to him that I had yet to finish High School and wanted to attend University; I knew how to cook and clean, and that was good enough.

Still, my grandparents come from pre-WW Poland; their attitudes are from the horse-and-buggy era. I think it's important to realize that the Canadian and Polish cultures are two very seperate things ... and that just because we have Polish heritage doesn't make us "Polish" or part of that culture, nor fit to judge. It's great to embrace our roots - I'm proud of my heritage! - but don't slander other people's ways of life.

... going back to Anthro ... There is no such thing as a "bad" culture ... It's our own "norms" that we push onto a culture that defines it as "right" or "wrong" in our eyes.

Krysia claims women are treated better in Poland, I know in Canada maternity leave is paid for 1 year and that's a couple thousand bucks not a crammy 250 zlote!!! As far as women are concerned who does DNA testing to prove a rapist in Poland no one, or when your robbed they will never find your things. Just go to the head police station in krakow and they don't even know how to use a computer!!!

Today, 09:27 - Attached on merging:
what is the status of women in Poland?

I'm curious to find out how women are perceived and treated in poland, in relation to such things as work, power, politics and society in general. Is there much stereo-typing of the female role? I need this for a research paper.

Thanks, in anticipation.

Women can do (almost) everything they want... it's up to them. No restrictions.... ok, they can't be priests yet, but it's not so bad... isn't it? We have here sth called 'rownouprawnienie' (equality?).

well as far as i know.... women in Poland are still women.

They have to cook and clean.

Depends ...

The status depends from families to families.

all this post in one word - suitable will be : **********, nothing more. Today if a girl wants to study - she is a student, most of them uses computers and internet (mostly for IMs like gadu-gadu), they can make career like every single men here. I don't agree that most of them go to private universities.. and one more... foreign languages are taught in almost every private school starting from elementary school.

I think that you are a little bit frustrated, maybe upset coz like you said you were insulted from someone for being a size 6 and that's all.