The implementation and smooth functioning of e-administration depends on many technical and organizational factors but also on psychosocial factors, including the sense of fear. In this paper, the authors treat fear as a subjective and perceptible sense of threat. They recognize that employees may express various concerns. Previous research has shown that employees may be afraid of losing their jobs as a result of implementing e-administration. The introduction of technology brings with it the threat of dehumanization. There are also numerous concerns that the development of modern technologies will not ensure adequate economic growth because it will be too slow. This paper discusses issues related to the fear of the changes taking place in the present, in particular those related to the introduction of modern technologies, as well as problems related to the possibility of reducing unethical behavior. The research has been carried out in local administration offices using a qualitative research procedure. The results of the research indicate the existence of relationships between the quality of e-administration and fears or threats experienced or perceived by employees. If e-administration does not simplify work and does not reduce employees’ workload, the only fears are employees’ fear of change and their inability to master new information technologies. The data obtained allow management practitioners to overcome barriers related to the implementation of e-administration.

Background. Gender is an important element regarding women's (and men's) situation in organizations. Numerous research studies indicate that women have the required competences and yet they hold positions, in particular top managerial positions, definitely less frequently than men. These differences can be explained by the still existing phenomenon of the glass ceiling and discrimination against women. In addition, knowledge about effective methods of preventing discrimination against women and their importance for the functioning of the organization is little. Research aims. The objective of this paper was to identify the dominant trends in research on women in organizational management. On the basis of the grouped results of the conducted literature review, the authors outlined new research directions which had previously been absent from, or attracted little attention in, the existing discourse. Methodology. The main method applied by the authors was systematic literature review and the principles of research conducted in the fields of management and business (Creswell, 2013; Easterby-Smith, Thorne & Jackson, 2015). Key findings. The authors indicated various possibilities of conducting research on women in management. For example, studies on the glass ceiling effect do not explain differences between the conduct of organizations with a long-term orientation and those pursuing short-term objectives. As far as financial benefits are concerned, it is not clear what causes organizations whose management boards include women to achieve better financial results and how such results are influenced by the external context. With respect to preventing discrimination, an important task is to grasp the differences between the strength of prosocial behaviours and training/procedures. There are also many research directions that should be further developed, e.g. differences between women and men in the manifestation of counterproductive and citizenship behaviours.

The article aims to characterize the remedial strategies undertaken by Polish families using social assistance to minimize material deprivation and the main barriers to empowerment of such families. The source of data are the results obtained as part of the author's own research, which were conducted with social workers in Poland and had quantitative (500 CATI) and qualitative (90 IDI) nature. In families living in difficult economic conditions, both active and passive activities are used to obtain the missing funds. Active strategies include taking up a job (permanent, additional or occasional, legal or in the so-called ‘gray area’), selling or exchanging skills, time and goods, borrowing money, or applying for support to institutions (which is mainly a female domain). Women also implement many passive strategies that involve saving or reducing consumption by, for example, preparing dishes from cheap products, shopping in places with the lowest prices, buying second-hand items, etc. The main barriers to minimizing the poverty of families benefiting from social assistance in Poland are related to their life attitude and the gender of its members. Remedial strategies for difficult financial situations undertaken by poor families benefiting from social assistance vary depending on the type of family, problem(s) they experience and the resources they have. The strategies undertaken also depend on the gender of family members experiencing poverty.  Keywords: poverty, family, social assistance, social worker, gender

<p>Artykuł ma na celu przedstawienie ról osób dorosłych (kobiet i mężczyzn) w rodzinach korzystających z pomocy społecznej w ograniczaniu ubóstwa. Zawarto w nim analizę badań własnych zrealizowanych w 2016 r. za pomocą techniki indywidualnego wywiadu pogłębionego z 90 pracownikami socjalnymi z całej Polski, zatrudnionymi w ośrodkach pomocy społecznej. Z danych statystycznych gromadzonych przez różne ośrodki pomocy społecznej wynika, że ponad 80% osób zwracających się po wsparcie do pomocy społecznej stanowią kobiety, które jednak na ogół reprezentują rodzinę pełną w kontaktach z instytucjami pomocowymi. Taka sytuacja wynika zdaniem niektórych pracownic socjalnych z faktu, że rodziny korzystające ze wsparcia to często rodziny z usztywnionymi rolami, w których płeć stanowi główne kryterium podziału zadań – mężczyzna podejmuje pracę zawodową (w pełnym wymiarze lub dorywczą), a kobieta prowadzi gospodarstwo domowe, opiekuje się dziećmi i reprezentuje rodzinę w kontaktach z instytucjami. Co istotne, nawet w sytuacji bezrobocia mężczyzny i niewypełniania przez niego tradycyjnej roli żywiciela rodziny, zmiana tradycyjnych ról związanych z płcią jest problematyczna. Część mężczyzn nie chce pełnić ról stereotypowo przypisanych kobiecie, np. opiekować się dziećmi i gospodarstwem domowym, by kobieta mogła pracować zawodowo lub zwiększać swoje szanse na rynku pracy np. przez udział w szkoleniach czy kursach. Taka postawa często uniemożliwia skuteczne wsparcie i minimalizację skutków ubóstwa rodziny. Pracownicy socjalni zwrócili także uwagę na funkcjonowanie tzw. modelu menedżerskiego matriarchatu, w którym kobieta czuje się i jest odpowiedzialna za wszystko związane z bytem i funkcjonowaniem rodziny. Kobiety w części rodzin korzystających z pomocy społecznej przejmują wszelką odpowiedzialność za rodzinę. Co istotne, jak podkreślają pracownicy socjalni, odpowiedzialność za problemy i zmiany w rodzinie przypisuje się głównie kobietom. Celem działań aktywizujących jest zazwyczaj udzielenie pomocy kobietom, umożliwienie im pogodzenia opieki nad dziećmi z pracą zawodową (efektywniejszego rodzicielstwa); często zapomina się o włączeniu ojców w życie rodzinne – pokazanie nowych wzorców.</p>

The purpose of this article is to show how poverty and the people who experience it are presented by various media (press, television programmes, etc.) in Poland. Referring to research and media analyses of the representation of this phenomenon, attempts were made to reveal the causes and valuations attributed to it. The media discourse on poverty shapes and proliferates social perceptions about it. It is crucial because it influences how fellow citizens treat the poor and policies aimed at minimising this phenomenon. Two dominant mass media narratives about those affected by poverty can be divided as follows: 1) the deserving poor worthy of support because their poverty is due to external sources beyond their power, and 2) the undeserving poor, who are themselves responsible for their material situation due to bad attitudes, habits, and deviant behaviours.