For many intelligent Polish people, there are only so many times you can hear that when asked what the best thing in Poland is, people reply "Polish women". Don't get me wrong, I am married to a beautiful Polish women and would happily describe Polish women to any foreigner as being the most beautiful women in the world. However, there are a few more things to Poland that it's women :)
But lets stay on the topic of women, for many the promotion of beuty tends to relegate brains and achievements to an unspoken of sphere. Therefore it is important to bring to light other aspects of Polish women. A recent report put Polish women as amongst the most business focused un Europe with many having their own firms, proportionatly more than in other EU countries.
Education is also an area where women excell in Poland with women obtaining on average better qualifications than their male counterparts. Further to this more women are involved in science subjects than in many other countries.
However, wages ofcourse do not reflect these facts: Polish women on average are paid between 24-35% less than men. What causes this?
In my humble opinion one of the core reasons is the deeply rooted tacit acceptance of traditional gender roles. This is undlined by institutional factors: the position of male priests withib Poland or the fact that Pokand has never had a female President or Prime Minister.
Will this change? Undoubtedly. When? Slowly and incremenedly. One thing which would be an imense positive factor would be the emergence of a truly strong and inspirational female PM or President.
I agree that Polish women are some of the most determined and focussed people I have met, and effortlessly outshine their male counterparts, but are held back by some out-dated expectations of their roles. This generation of young Poles undoubtedly have both the entrepreneurial and creative energy to overcome and overturn that mind-set. Paddy
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