Abstract

The existing legislation in Poland, both national and international, provides equal professional rights to women and men. The declared professional equality, however, is not synonymous with equality in practice, since the impact on the realities are, admittedly regulations, but also tradition or socio-cultural norms. The aim of this study is to assess the situation of women and men in Poland and the research covers the years 2000–2012. The study justifies the statement that during the period considered the professional situation of women compared unfavourably to that of men. The realities were therefore different from the declarations of equality. The causes of this state of affairs did not stem from economic factors or legislation – it must be assumed that the worse situation of women in Poland resulted primarily from existing traditions and socio-cultural norms.

Key words: professional equality, regulation, labour market, Poland

Introduction

In Poland, equal rights for men and women in the workplace – as in other spheres of life – are covered by laws both domestic and international. The most important domestic legislation is undoubtedly the Constitution of the Republic of Poland of 2 April 1997, providing men and women with equal rights to employment and promotion, and to equal pay for work of equal value (Constitution of RP 1997 art. 33 para 2). In terms of international regulation the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women dated 18.12.1979 passed by the General Assembly of the United Nations is noteworthy, where in the field of work the following rights are guaranteed: the right to permanent work and equal working conditions, equal employment opportunities and equal criteria for selection, the right to choose an occupation and employment, promotion and access to training, equal pay for work of equal value and to social security (art. 11).

Poland's integration with the European Union resulted in the need to adapt national legislation to EU legislation, which resulted in both the amendment of existing legislation and the introduction of a number of new solutions. From the point of view of the subject of discussion in this study – the most important rules in this field before accession include amendments made to the Labour Code of 1974 and the establishment of an institution with the task of equalising professional opportunities for women.