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Gender Equality Cover Image

Równouprawnienie
Gender Equality

Studies Dedicated to Professor Małgorzata Fuszara

Contributor(s): Anna Krajewska (Editor), Marta Rawłuszko (Editor)
Subject(s): Social Sciences, Gender Studies, Sociology
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: gender equality; feminism; interdisciplinarity; women’s rights; equal status; political identity; gender studies; jubilee of Małgorzata Fuszara; economic situation in the ghetto; gender law; equality and inequality
Summary/Abstract: This collection of articles is an attempt to reconstruct some of the gender-equality-related themes in Professor Małgorzata Fuszara’s academic research and public activity in the context of the changes which have taken place in the feminist movement in Poland in recent decades. It is a contemporary compendium of knowledge on women’s rights, equal status, political identity, and gender studies. Not only does the book celebrate the anniversary of Professor’s scientific work, but it also presents the current state of the art in the above-mentioned fields. It shows that comprehensive, interdisciplinary and intersectional approaches, applied both in practice and in theory, must become the basis of the struggle for women’s rights.

  • E-ISBN-13: 978-83-235-5508-7
  • Print-ISBN-13: 978-83-235-5500-1
  • Page Count: 594
  • Publication Year: 2022
  • Language: English, Polish
Przyjaźń i opór

Przyjaźń i opór
(Friendship and Resistance)

  • Author(s):Magdalena Środa
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:63-74
  • No. of Pages:12
  • Keywords:empathy; ethics of caring; friendship; women
  • Summary/Abstract:The topic of the article is friendship, an old philosophical problem that has been privatized in modern times. Along with the privatization, the culture of friendship also collapsed. I look into the history of friendship, understanding of this concept, and, most importantly, the question of friendship between women.
Etla i Enta

Etla i Enta
(Etla and Enta)

  • Author(s):Piotr Laskowski
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:75-84
  • No. of Pages:10
  • Keywords:herstory; people’s history; domestic servants
  • Summary/Abstract:The paper attempts to identify a specific type of social bonds, based on mutual care, concern and support, that emerged between women from subordinate groups involved in communist activity in the Second Polish Republic, namely: Jewish domestic workers (servants). The only traces of such ties can be recognized in documents (CVs, opinions, a handful memoirs) made for the party apparatus. The research perspective developed by feminist historiography and the school of microhistory helps to show how awkward phrasing, while “loosening” the standardized stiff form of such documents, reveals the otherwise unexpressed forms of women’s social contacts.
Pojęcie równej sprawiedliwości na przykładzie analizy "Folwarku zwierzęcego" George’a Orwella

Pojęcie równej sprawiedliwości na przykładzie analizy "Folwarku zwierzęcego" George’a Orwella
(The Concept of Equal Justice on the Example of the Analysis of "Animal Farm" by George Orwell)

  • Author(s):Iwona Jakubowska-Branicka
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:85-94
  • No. of Pages:10
  • Keywords:law; equality; justice
  • Summary/Abstract:A reflection on the concept of formal justice introduced into the language of theory by Chaim Perelman, using the analysis of George Orwell’s novel "Animal Farm" as an example. Perelman defines formal justice as equal treatment of people who belong to the same relevant category. However, according to him, the application of the principle of formal justice in practice requires that the criteria for the designation of categories considered important be defined beforehand. The distinction of these categories is – and herein lies the problem I have emphasized – in itself not only a question of morality, but also of justice. So does the principle of formal justice solve the problem of equal justice?
O seksie, cielesności i pożądaniu: prywatny i publiczny wymiar życia kobiety w wydaniu obscenicznym

O seksie, cielesności i pożądaniu: prywatny i publiczny wymiar życia kobiety w wydaniu obscenicznym
(On Sex, Corporeality and Desire: Private and Public Dimensions of a Woman’s Life, an Obscene Edition)

  • Author(s):Mariola Bieńko
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:95-105
  • No. of Pages:11
  • Keywords:body; gender; woman; culture; sexuality
  • Summary/Abstract:Cultural patterns of femininity are part of the process of constructing everyday social life, i.e. constructing objective reality, shape of which acquires the features of reality due to the fact that members of society share its image. Bieńko’s paper is an attempt to present the discourse on sex, corporality and desire in the context of gender. Gender, understood as a comprehensive, complex institutional and cultural order, is a product of social activity, i.e. historically conditioned knowledge that produces the currently accepted repertoire of gender images. Sexuality is a factor of differentiation and delimitation between femininity and masculinity. The attitude towards this part of reality provides a faithful reflection of the culture of everyday life, as it mirrors the inequality between women and men in both the private and public spheres.
Klucz do nowego feminizmu: feminizm, komunitaryzm, realizm?

Klucz do nowego feminizmu: feminizm, komunitaryzm, realizm?
(The Key to the New Catholic Feminism: Feminism, Communitarianism, Realism?)

  • Author(s):Aneta Gawkowska
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:107-125
  • No. of Pages:19
  • Keywords:feminism; woman; communitarianism; new feminism; realism
  • Summary/Abstract:The text is an attempt to look for an adequate theoretical key to a better understanding of the phenomenon of the new Catholic feminism. Gawkowska analyzes the similarities and differences between the new feminism and, in turn, the mainstream feminism, communitarianism, and the realist philosophy. Each of these three philosophies has something in common with the new feminism: the feminist appeal for the real equality of women, the communitarian attention focused on human relations, and the realist approach towards human nature as intrinsic, while also viewing it in metaphysical terms. What differerentiates the new feminism from the analyzed perspectives is, in turn: the essentialist perspective on women, the universalist position on values, and new feminism’s much more egalitarian standing on men and women as opposed to the traditional Aristotelian-Thomistic realism in this regard. In conclusion, the author argues that the third key, realist philosophy, appears to be the most adequate to understanding the new feminism, though in a modified way and with significant contributions from both feminism and communitarianism.
Księżniczka Pocahontas alias Mrs. Rebecca Rolfe i Ms. Julia Martinez: dialektyka intersekcjonalności i niewspółmierności

Księżniczka Pocahontas alias Mrs. Rebecca Rolfe i Ms. Julia Martinez: dialektyka intersekcjonalności i niewspółmierności
(Princess Pocahontas, Also Known As Mrs. Rebecca Rolfe and Ms. Martinez: The Dialectic of Intersectionality and Incommensurability)

  • Author(s):Jacek Maria Kurczewski
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:127-154
  • No. of Pages:28
  • Keywords:intersectionality; culture clash; cultural contact; indigenous peoples of North America; equality
  • Summary/Abstract:I begin my article with an analysis of the essential case in the U.S. law that has defined the relationship between the right to tribal sovereignty of the indigenous peoples of the United States and the right of women to equality. I go on to explain what the conflict between Euro-American (legal) culture and Amero-Indian indigenous cultures consists of, and, using another example of such a conflict, illustrate the different arrangement of discriminatory factors that interact with the gender factor. Finally, I raise the issue of two notions of sovereignty – political and cultural – and two types of discrimination – individual and collective – which are in a conflict that cannot be resolved without a violation of the obvious incommensurability of the values scales involved.
Ład społeczny a niewidzialna etyka

Ład społeczny a niewidzialna etyka
(Social Order and Invisible Ethics)

  • Author(s):Wojciech Pawlik
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:155-169
  • No. of Pages:15
  • Keywords:empathy; ethics; law; religion; kindness
  • Summary/Abstract:Following the collapse of communism, one can observe processes in Poland similar to those previously seen in the West, which can be described in terms of secularization and normative deconstruction. Religion and morality ceased to be regarded as universal, rigid and normatively structured systems. In the words of Zygmunt Bauman, ethics, religion and the social world are becoming fluid. But does this fluidity necessarily lead to anomie? Are we heading towards a society where social control will be reduced to the narrow domain of law and economics, while the rest of our lives descends into normative chaos? The thesis of the paper: the disappearance of traditional mechanisms of social control based on codes, norms, orders and prohibitions is accompanied by the emergence of new mechanisms for regulating interpersonal and social relations, based mainly on empathy, benevolence, moral intuition, ethics of care et al. In the same manner as traditional religiosity is replaced in the postmodern world by invisible religion, the “Kant’s man” controlled by absolutized principles, norms, and religious institutions is replaced (in the cultural sense) in the sphere of morality by a type of postmodern personality whose attitude towards other people is based primarily on ethical sensitivity and empathy. Contemporary forms of invisible ethics and invisible social control are a functional response to the death of traditional, external forms of such control, and are the realization of the demand, as defined in Leon Petrażycki’s theory, for the revival of natural law and the social ideal of universal equal-for-all empathy, of ethical openness and benevolence.
Empirical Characteristics of the Discriminating and Anti-Discrimination Legal Consciousness of Bulgarians

Empirical Characteristics of the Discriminating and Anti-Discrimination Legal Consciousness of Bulgarians
(Empirical Characteristics of the Discriminating and Anti-Discrimination Legal Consciousness of Bulgarians)

  • Author(s):Stefka Naoumova
  • Language:English
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:173-190
  • No. of Pages:18
  • Keywords:discrimination; EU membership; equality; gender; law; Rule of Law
  • Summary/Abstract:The issues of discrimination as a social phenomenon and particularly – the recently increasing multiple discrimination – are the subject of attention in every civilized society, in so far as the state and its citizens are unanimous in their efforts to protect basic human values and to guarantee lawfulness and rule of law when keeping up with the principle of equality in spite of differences based on gender, age, education, property status, ethnic identity, disabilities, etc. Republic of Bulgaria’s full EU membership put in focus theoretical clarification of the equality issue, as well as legislation modernization and its incorporation into the best European anti-discrimination policies. Identifying efficient legal and alternative mechanisms for effective enforcement is essential to avoid mono-discrimination and multiple discrimination as well. Main problems requiring in-depth analysis are focused in several directions. In the first place – the European global strategy and the new paradigm of socio-legal knowledge. In the second place – legal-sociological characteristics of discrimination as a form of social deviation in the context of EU anti-discrimination policy. Thirdly, empirical characteristics of the (anti)discriminating legal consciousness. An interesting empirical legal-sociological survey was conducted by the Institute of State and Law at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, entitled “Public Opinion on Discrimination and Establishing of Anti-Discriminating Legal Consciousness”. The survey finds a relatively good degree of awareness regarding discrimination problems in general, and particularly the multiple discrimination.
W stronę równości płci?

W stronę równości płci?
(Towards Gender Equality?)

  • Author(s):Jolanta Arcimowicz
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:191-208
  • No. of Pages:18
  • Keywords:ombudsman; women’s rights; prohibition of discrimination on grounds of gender; gender equality principle
  • Summary/Abstract:Debates on women’s rights have been taking place in the Polish Parliament since the beginning of the country’s democratic transformation in 1989. MPs and senators, as well as the general public, have for over three decades listened to the annual addresses by the Polish Ombudsman, which constantly included mentions of the issues of the social position of women in Poland, their problems and threats to their rights. Persons serving as the Ombudsman stressed that although the situation of women in Poland had improved after 1989, there was still much to be done. Women have waited patiently. Since 2015, explanations or excuses for the existing status quo were no longer sufficient. In the autumn of 2016, a wave of protests on a scale not seen since the 1980s swept through Poland. Women, supported by male allies, took to the streets to defend their rights. The situation repeated itself in 2020, when the Constitutional Court ruled that the provision which permitted abortion in the case of severe and irreversible fetal disability was unconstitutional. The Polish Ombudsman supported women protesters, intervening, among others, in defense of women activists of social organizations who were detained and repressed by the authorities. This article focuses on the actions taken by the Ombudsman in order to protect women’s rights. The analyses and conclusions are based on the annual reports of the Ombudsman submitted to the Polish Parliament, informing about the state of observance of the rights and freedoms of citizens, including the implementation of the gender equality principle. A brief recapitulation of the achievements of the Ombudsman in this area is important and timely, especially in the context of the aforementioned events of autumn 2020, which is described as a rebellion of women who regained their voice, a revolt of the young generation who renounced the “new gender contract”, and a diametrical cultural change in which “the era of good girls is over”.
Historia magistra vitae est?

Historia magistra vitae est?
(Historia Magistra Vitae Est?)

  • Author(s):Hanna Machińska
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:209-215
  • No. of Pages:7
  • Keywords:discrimination; history; March 1968; migration; LGBT persons; local government resolutions
  • Summary/Abstract:Traumatic history often results in successive generations being confronted with answers to questions to which we fail to find a correct answer. But the history in question here, starting with the events of March 1968 in Poland, through the discrimination against people, to the shameful expulsion from the country, is a heavy burden. It is lodged deep within us. Sometimes history results in a repetition of deeds and omissions. Today we are witnessing reactions and shameful actions similar to those of the past. So is history a teacher of life? A different time, different circumstances, different political environment, yet the same deep wounds, the same flaws. They are irremovable splinters that weigh on our consciences.
O (nie)zatrudnianiu osób z niepełnosprawnościami przez pracodawców z otwartego rynku pracy

O (nie)zatrudnianiu osób z niepełnosprawnościami przez pracodawców z otwartego rynku pracy
(On the (Non-)Employment of People with Disabilities by Employers on the Open Labor Market)

  • Author(s):Ewa Giermanowska
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:217-230
  • No. of Pages:14
  • Keywords:disability; people with disabilities; employer; right to work; employment
  • Summary/Abstract:In 2012, Poland ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It recognized the right to work of persons with disabilities on an equal basis with other employees and committed to guarantee the implementation of this right by, among other measures, promoting the employment of persons with disabilities in the open labor market in the public and private sectors (Article 27). Years have passed, yet most people with disabilities in Poland remain outside the labor market and their employment rate is one of the lowest in Europe. This paper addresses the problem of social effects of the law, and the issue of equality at work and in employment, using sociological concepts and results of empirical studies of employers on the open labor market.
Upośledzenie umysłowe a równouprawnienie podmiotów

Upośledzenie umysłowe a równouprawnienie podmiotów
(Mental Disability and the Equal Rights of Subjects)

  • Author(s):Elżbieta Zakrzewska-Manterys
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:231-242
  • No. of Pages:12
  • Keywords:emancipation; humanism; intelligence; subject; mental disability
  • Summary/Abstract:The paper traces changes in the understanding of the concept of subject and corresponding changes in the understanding of the concept of intelligence. Efforts to empower people who are particularly vulnerable to discrimination, i.e. mentally disabled persons, are presented as examples of the ongoing emancipatory discourse.
Obostrzenia związane z pandemią COVID-19 jako czynnik pogłębiający i generujący nierówności społeczne

Obostrzenia związane z pandemią COVID-19 jako czynnik pogłębiający i generujący nierówności społeczne
(COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Restrictions As a Factor That Intesifies and Generates Social Inequalities)

  • Author(s):Paweł Orzechowski
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:243-256
  • No. of Pages:14
  • Keywords:social inequality; COVID-19 pandemic; sanitary restrictions; religious diversity; local community
  • Summary/Abstract:Numerous sanitary restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 have resulted in far-reaching economic, social and cultural changes around the world. It is to be expected that they will result in the deepening of existing phenomena and the emergence of new ones that can be collectively termed “social inequalities”. This paper is one of many voices on this issue and focuses on discussing the results of fieldwork conducted in a religiously diverse local community. The community lives in an area located in the north-eastern part of Łódź voivodship. The author focused on the description of a “new” pandemic reality and the characterization of four indicators that may signal a deepening of social inequalities, triggered by the introduction of sanitary restrictions in March 2020. The text also includes several references to similar research reports conducted in Poland on a representative nationwide sample.
Female Researchers in STEM

Female Researchers in STEM
(Female Researchers in STEM)

  • Author(s):Svitlana Shchudlo, Oksana Zabolotna, Tetiana Medina, Liudmyla Zagoruiko
  • Language:English
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:257-268
  • No. of Pages:12
  • Keywords:female researchers; gender; Ukrainian Academia
  • Summary/Abstract:The authors of the present article take part in the project “When Science Is a Woman” (funded by Paris Dauphine University). Together with the team from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, we have already gathered gender statistics and survey data from the two universities under research. The focus of further work is planning gender analysis, gender impact assessment and gender stakeholders’ consultations in the researched universities in order to develop recommendations. The other phases of the cycle (acting and checking) do not lie within the scope of “When Science Is a Woman” project. Nevertheless, the recommendation-intervention and research of their implementation might and should become further projects.
Gender Quotas in Politics

Gender Quotas in Politics
(Gender Quotas in Politics)

  • Author(s):Drude Dahlerup
  • Language:English
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:269-284
  • No. of Pages:16
  • Keywords:gender quotas; politics; feminists
  • Summary/Abstract:In many countries, the demand for electoral gender quotas has been a catalyst for public debate on the reasons for women’s historical under-representation. An all-male government or parliament was for long seen as solid and trustworthy, but today would be met with immediate protests. Demands for gender quotas can also have a mobilizing effect, not only in democratic countries, but even in semi-democratic and authoritarian states, and today gender quotas for election have been adopted in all three types of political systems. Yet, only in a few countries have gender quotas demands been subject to such large popular mobilization as in Poland. Here the mobilization around gender quotas spilled over to other feminist issues, most recently seen in the large mobilization against the Polish government’s attempts to limit abortion rights. Quota demands may have this catalyst effect on the public debate, even in places where no, or just unambitious, quota rules are adopted, as we have seen in Brazil.
Dyskryminacja algorytmiczna w Polsce i możliwości przeciwdziałania jej na podstawie obowiązujących regulacji prawnych

Dyskryminacja algorytmiczna w Polsce i możliwości przeciwdziałania jej na podstawie obowiązujących regulacji prawnych
(Algorithmic Discrimination in Poland and the Possibilities of Counteracting It on the Basis of Existing Regulations)

  • Author(s):Anna Cybulko
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:285-316
  • No. of Pages:32
  • Keywords:personal data; algorithmic discrimination; GDPR; artificial intelligence; use of algorithms
  • Summary/Abstract:The article is devoted to the subject of algorithmic discrimination and available legal tools for counteracting it. The author shows that current Polish legislation is inadequate to deal with the challenges created by algorithmic discrimination. Cybulko begins from a discussion of selected areas of algorithmic application which may lead to gender discrimination: labor market, education, finance, social welfare and judiciary system. Particular attention is paid to automatic decision-making mechanisms in this context. The paper analyses the possibilities of counteracting algorithmic discrimination with anti-discrimination law and civil law provisions which protect personal rights. GDPR regulations are also discussed as an instrument that supports both the prevention and combating of algorithmic discrimination. Among the basic problems of using legal tools for counteracting discrimination and pursuing claims related to it, the author lists the limited scope of anti-discrimination law, the commonness of situations in which the use of an algorithm does not constitute an actionable solution, and the necessity to pursue claims individually, even in the case of discrimination against a large group of recipients. Difficulties with recognizing the occurrence of discrimination and defining its criterion, identifying the addressee of a claim and defining the moment of occurrence of a violation in the context of provisions that define the rules of limitation are also discussed. Finally, author’s conclusions and de lege ferenda postulates are presented.
Developing cross national understanding of Family Law, Family Policies... and Sociology of Family Law

Developing cross national understanding of Family Law, Family Policies... and Sociology of Family Law
(Developing cross national understanding of Family Law, Family Policies... and Sociology of Family Law)

  • Author(s):Mavis Maclean
  • Language:English
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:319-331
  • No. of Pages:13
  • Keywords:family law; family policies; sociology of family law; developing the sociology; law in family matters
  • Summary/Abstract:This paper attempts to describe the work of the Family Law and Policy Group based within the Research Committee for the Sociology of Law and the contribution of Małgorzata Fuszara to its formulation and dissemination. We are a long way from black letter legal analysis and a long way from more descriptive empirical socio-legal studies: we aim to develop the Sociology of Law in family matters.
Równość-nierówność w rodzinie: „nietypowy” sposób prowadzenia rozważań

Równość-nierówność w rodzinie: „nietypowy” sposób prowadzenia rozważań
(Equality-Inequality In a Family: An “Atypical” Approach)

  • Author(s):Anna Kwak
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:333-346
  • No. of Pages:14
  • Keywords:women’s preferences and choices; family; gender equality
  • Summary/Abstract:The subject of considerations is the family in the context of equality and inequality of roles played by both genders. The processes of social change apply to a family unit as well. The question is whether these are revolutionary changes to gender equality in the family. The analysis of the issue will be based on the results of research conducted in different years. The agreement, sometimes quite striking, between men and women does not mean an aversion to the traditional family model. This internal gender equality or inequality can be interpreted, understood, explained and perceived in various ways.
Różni, ale czy równi?

Różni, ale czy równi?
(Different But Equal?)

  • Author(s):Anna Krajewska
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:347-369
  • No. of Pages:23
  • Keywords:childhood; gender; family; socialization
  • Summary/Abstract:Socialization into gender roles in the everyday lives of children – particularly younger children – is to a large extent the result of the parental practices adopted in their families, which include not just conscious decisions regarding the upbringing or education of children, but also forming of their everyday life through, often automatic and made without reflection, choices and actions. By shaping the material environment of childhood (children’s spaces, their toys, clothes), by encouraging or discouraging children’s activities, by including or excluding them from various activities or information, parents influence the formation of their offspring’s identities, including their gender identity. In addition, children more or less co-create the conditions in which “self” is formed, and the degree of children’s participation and their influence on this process is also – at least in part – the result of certain everyday, often automatic and reflexive decisions. So what does socialization into gender roles look like in contemporary Polish families? Are there differences in the socialization practices of mothers and fathers? Do practices involving girls and boys significantly differ? And finally, what is the influence of children themselves on shaping these practices? The article presents the results of qualitative research on gender roles socialization in preschool and primary school children, occuring in everyday family life and in children’s extracurricular activities.
„Nie może być dzielenia ludzi na lepszych i gorszych” – postulaty rodzin z wyboru wobec państwa i prawa

„Nie może być dzielenia ludzi na lepszych i gorszych” – postulaty rodzin z wyboru wobec państwa i prawa
(“You Cannot Divide People into Better and Worse” - Demands of Families of Choice in Relation to the State and Law)

  • Author(s):Joanna Mizielińska
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:371-387
  • No. of Pages:17
  • Keywords:same-sex marriage; social parenting; LGBTQ families; families of choice; civil partnership
  • Summary/Abstract:This paper is based on the results of the Families of Choice in Poland research project carried out in 2013-2016 at the Institute of Psychology of the Polish Academy of Sciences under the direction of PhD hab. Joanna Mizielińska. It addresses the issue of how families of choice cope with the lack of recognition in Polish law. In the article, the author tries to answer the question concerning how Polish LGBT families manage with this lack of legal recognition in their everyday lives. The author puts families and their needs at the center of her considerations. Mizielińska shows how Polish law does not meet the specificity of these needs, in particular with regard to the lack of security in the relationship between a child and their social parent. In this context, the author asks what type of legal solutions would be most desirable for such families and postulates the necessity of their implementation.
Bękart jako kategoria społeczna

Bękart jako kategoria społeczna
(Bastard as a Social Category)

  • Author(s):Elżbieta Kaczyńska
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:389-414
  • No. of Pages:26
  • Keywords:illegitimate children; discrimination; customs and law; dynastic family
  • Summary/Abstract:From the perspective of principles of a dynastic family, a model dominant until the 19th century, illegitimate births were evidence of the interruption of the “normal” social process, and a weakening of social control. The old laws and nineteenth-century civil codes had dug a chasm between “legitimate” and “illegitimate” children, or bastards (this noun became a slur). In the 19th century in Europe, the proportion of “illegitimate” children increased rapidly, while attitudes towards them were slower to change.
Societies in Balance

Societies in Balance
(Societies in Balance)

  • Author(s):Heide Goettner-Abendroth
  • Language:English
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:415-423
  • No. of Pages:9
  • Keywords:non-patriarchal social patterns; matriarchy; women; future generations
  • Summary/Abstract:The surge of popular and scholarly interest in non-patriarchal social patterns has inspired formation of various new terms for them. Why then insist on the sometimes problematic designation, “matriarchy”? Reclaiming this term means to reclaim knowledge of societies that have been socially, economically, politically and culturally created by women. In the course of these cultures’ long histories, women and men have participated equally to sustain them and pass them on to future generations.
Kształtowanie tożsamości politycznej kobiet w Polsce

Kształtowanie tożsamości politycznej kobiet w Polsce
(The Forming of Women’s Political Identity in Poland)

  • Author(s):Joanna Regulska
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:427-438
  • No. of Pages:12
  • Keywords:interdisciplinarity; women’s rights; equal status; political identity
  • Summary/Abstract:In this paper I attempt to analyze the formation of women’s political identity in Poland after 1989 – what is possible and indeed necessary in order to act towards changing the image of a politically active woman, a woman who votes and acts in the public sphere. At the same time, I stress the importance of women activists as well as researchers and politicians in overcoming institutional, political, social, economic and cultural barriers. I show that efforts to establish feminist research methods and thus enhance women’s empowerment are an integral part of the strategy to fight for women’s rights and achieve equal treatment of women and men. I show that comprehensive, interdisciplinary and intersectional approaches, applied both in practice and in theory, must become the basis of the struggle for women’s rights. At the same time, action is needed to make society aware that women have a political identity, that they are fighting for their rights, for gender equality and equal treatment, for reproductive rights, for equal pay, and for new approaches to electoral rights that would ensure that more women are placed on the electoral lists. Forming a political identity is a long, often convoluted process that is never straightforward. Professor Małgorzata Fuszara knows best how to act both in academia and politics, as well as how to be an activist. Her contributions are invaluable, as she was able to put her vision of intersectionality into practice.
Ograniczenie praw reprodukcyjnych oraz świadomość prawna kobiet

Ograniczenie praw reprodukcyjnych oraz świadomość prawna kobiet
(Restriction of Reproductive Rights and Legal Awareness of Women)

  • Author(s):Grażyna Skąpska
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:439-455
  • No. of Pages:17
  • Keywords:social safety; abortion compromise; inhuman treatment; reproductive rights; prudent decision
  • Summary/Abstract:Stereotypes which paint women as being incapable of making a considered moral decision on matters relating to reproductive rights lie at the root of the failure (until 2020) to respect the so-called “abortion compromise” in Poland. As the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights indicate, this compromise has been violated in relation to each of the circumstances that permitted termination of pregnancy. In these rulings, the ECHR stressed that the applicants were subjected to degrading and inhumane treatment by doctors and the judiciary. Despite this, votes of women ensured that the parliamentary elections were won by the Law and Justice party, and thanks to the surplus of women’s votes, the incumbent president was re-elected to office. This dissonance can be hypothetically explained by referring to the results of a nationwide survey conducted in 2020 (before the infamous ruling of the Constitutional Tribunal of 22nd October 2020). According to the results, women attach more importance than men to rights concerning access to social services and benefits; what’s more, this sphere seems to have greater significance for women than the breach of the abortion compromise mentioned above.
Wyzwalacze równości płci – konteksty egalitaryzacji relacji rodzinnych i... zawodowych

Wyzwalacze równości płci – konteksty egalitaryzacji relacji rodzinnych i... zawodowych
(Gender Equality Triggers: Contexts of Egalitarianization of Family and Work Relations)

  • Author(s):Krystyna Slany, Ewa Krzaklewska, Marta Warat
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:457-468
  • No. of Pages:12
  • Keywords:quality of life; women’s rights; family; gender equality
  • Summary/Abstract:In this paper we reflect on the process of egalitarianization of family life, looking for key moments or events in a person’s life that accelerated or reinforced the “journey to equality”. The family is an area of social life where the struggle for equality is seen as crucial due to the unfair division of labor and privileges of power. Based on the qualitative research material, we put forward a concept of gender equality triggers – pointing to specific turning points in the thinking about and practining equality. Our reflection on the equality triggers serves as a continuation of the research on the processes of transformation of the gender contract: from a gender contract based on the traditional gender order to a new, equal gender contract. “Secret doors to the transformation” of the gender contract are linked with women’s entry into employment, the unequal distribution of unpaid work, relationship crises, the emergence of feminist consciousness through learning about other women’s experiences, and the refusal to reproduce inequality.
Kobiety, których (prawie) nie ma

Kobiety, których (prawie) nie ma
(The Women Who (Nearly) Aren’t There)

  • Author(s):Aleksandra Herman
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:469-478
  • No. of Pages:10
  • Keywords:feminine forms of nouns; priestess; priesthood of women; Mariavite Catholic Church; position of women in Christian churches
  • Summary/Abstract:The article addresses the issue of the priesthood of women in Christian churches, including the Catholic churches. The widespread rejection of women from priestly functions and the special status associated with them is justified by the institutions both theologically and historically. There is, however, the Mariavite Catholic Church established in Poland, which has ordained women priests and bishops since 1929 and which has constructed its own alternative theology and liturgy. The description of the establishment and functioning of the church was based on a critical analysis of available studies and documents, with particular emphasis on the issue of priestesses who used to serve in it, while the summary of the current situation was formulated on the basis of data obtained during field research conducted by the author in 2020. Insights into the priesthood of women contained in the article are additionally grounded in a broader reflection on feminine forms of nouns (nomina feminativa) in Polish and their designations, as well as in data concerning general public opinion on the priesthood of women.
Kobieca przyjaźń i siostrzeństwo w obrazach serialowych i prasowych

Kobieca przyjaźń i siostrzeństwo w obrazach serialowych i prasowych
(Female Friendship and Sisterhood as Portrayed in TV Series and the Press)

  • Author(s):Beata Łaciak
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:479-488
  • No. of Pages:10
  • Keywords:feminism; media; friendship; sisterhood; portrayals
  • Summary/Abstract:The text analyses the ways in which female friendship and feminist sisterhood are presented in the liberal press (Wysokie Obcasy, Polityka), on the Internet and in TV series. It is an attempt to answer the following questions: do any images of female friendship emerge from this analysis? And if so, are they uniform or diverse? What disputes and concerns are raised by the idea of feminist sisterhood in today’s Poland? Are there links between female friendship and the somewhat broader notion of sisterhood postulated by feminism? Portrayals of friendship and sisterhood in TV series, in the press, and on the Internet feature extremely polarized representations – either rejecting the possibility of female solidarity and true friendship, or showing their enormous role in women’s lives. I am more inclined to believe in the latter notion: female friendship, small communities built on similar values, attitudes, mutual loyalty, readiness to help or support. I am much less convinced, however, by the idea of female sisterhood, community building and loyalty to other women who often have very little in common with each other.
Dwa portrety kobiet

Dwa portrety kobiet
(Two Portraits of Women)

  • Author(s):Joanna Śmigielska
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:489-500
  • No. of Pages:12
  • Keywords:woman; marriage; work; change; family
  • Summary/Abstract:The portraits of two women present the transformation of the ways of life of a grandmother, who lives in a small village, and her granddaughter, who lives in the city. The statements by both women allow us to grasp their aspirations and the extent of influence they both had on shaping their lives.
Feminizm w centrum

Feminizm w centrum
(Feminism in the Center)

  • Author(s):Magdalena Grabowska
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:503-519
  • No. of Pages:17
  • Keywords:participatory research; feminism; social change
  • Summary/Abstract:The text is an attempt to reconstruct some of the themes in Professor Małgorzata Fuszara’s academic research and public activity in the context of the changes which have taken place in the feminist movement in Poland in recent decades. The paper analyzes the transformation of the feminist movement after 1989 – from providing service and assistance, to formulating essential issues in the public debate – from a perspective of the work of key actors in social life. At the same time, it points to the interpenetration of theoretical knowledge and attitudes in contemporary feminist movements, and their transformation towards intersectional activism.
Karty z dziennika kobiecej rewolucji

Karty z dziennika kobiecej rewolucji
(Pages from a Journal of the Female Revolt)

  • Author(s):Beata Kowalska, Radosław Nawojski
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:521-538
  • No. of Pages:18
  • Keywords:feminist archive; feminist research; social mobilizations; citizenship; reproductive rights
  • Summary/Abstract:Polish abortion law is already one of the most restrictive pieces of legislation in Europe. In recent five years, subsequent attempts to curb reproductive rights have sparked off women’s protests on a scale unprecedented in the history of Poland. The largest ones took place in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic when the Constitutional Tribunal ruled that terminating a pregnancy due to fetal abnormalities violates the constitution. In practice, the decision imposed a de facto ban on abortion. Hundreds of people took to the streets in more than 500 hundred municipalities across Poland. We have been accompanying these waves of women’s mobilizations protests since 2016, looking for the most appropriate research strategies to describe them. One of them is the creation of a feminist archive, described in the chapter. The feminist theories of citizenship serve as our theoretical framework. This approach combines the concepts of citizenship as a status (associated with rights and duties) and of citizenship as everyday practice, which is essential to becoming a citizen. It allows people to regain a sense of agency, efficiency, and dignity.
Trzy przekroczenia #MeToo

Trzy przekroczenia #MeToo
(#MeToo’s Three Transgressions)

  • Author(s):Marta Rawłuszko
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:539-554
  • No. of Pages:16
  • Keywords:#MeToo; rape; sexual violence
  • Summary/Abstract:The article identifies key features of the #MeToo movement, a relatively new global wave of women’s activism against male sexual violence. The author argues that some of the characteristics, by virtue of their novelty, have a broader political potential to transform the unequal gender order, going beyond the mere problem of sexual crimes committed by men against women.
Homofobia z perspektywy queer

Homofobia z perspektywy queer
(Homophobia from a Queer Perspective)

  • Author(s):Jacek Kochanowski
  • Language:Polish
  • Subject(s):Gender Studies, Sociology
  • Page Range:555-571
  • No. of Pages:17
  • Keywords:heteronormativity; homophobia; ideology; queer; sexual segregation
  • Summary/Abstract:This paper analyzes the concept of homophobia from the perspective of social queer theory. The introduction to the analysis of the notion in question is a consideration of biphobia and transphobia. Subsequently, the author characterizes homophobia as a cultural and social phenomenon, using categories such as the center and the margins, visibility and phallogocentrism. Kochanowski identifies the sources of homophobia in the mechanisms of power which impose mandatory heterosexuality, and draws attention to its consequence: gender and sexual segregation. On the basis of the presented characteristics, the author formulates the definition of homophobia as a set of meanings and social practices connected with those meanings, related to defending and maintaining the system of obligatory heterosexuality. The specific contexts of homophobia occurrence are also mentioned – the political context (political homophobia) and the state context (institutional homophobia).
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