Dynamic land use changes in metropolitan areas are global phenomena. The influence of urbanisation processes on farmland is twofold: urban encroachments predominantly take place at the expense of farmland, and also result in farmland abandonment processes, especially in Central Eastern and Southern Europe. This paper analyses determinants of farmland abandonment in 280 municipalities situated in six selected Polish metropolitan areas. The analysis, which covers secondary statistical data as well as primary data collected via a survey among experts, applies the regression tree method. Within the six selected metropolitan areas nearly 9% of the farmland is permanently excluded from agricultural production (actual abandonment), plus another 11.5% is currently not being used for production (semi-abandonment). For actual abandonment, physical and economic sizes of farms, part-time farming, and soil quality constitute the most relevant determinants. Socio-economic variables play a more important role in explaining semi-abandonment than actual abandonment. Temporary exclusion of farmland from agricultural production is connected with urbanisation processes. Higher shares of built-up and urbanised areas, higher population densities, and positive migration rates result in higher shares of semi-abandonment. Naturally, areas characterised by agrarian fragmentation, where due to low agricultural incomes farmers more often decided to abandon agricultural production, were, in particular, subject to this process.

The theoretical part of the paper presents conclusions from the literature review. The empirical part of the paper includes findings of the research carried out by the authors. Amending the human capital definition, based on the new approach from the perspective of equal opportunities, mainly for women, was the main aim and added value of the paper. Based on the previous research, authors hypothesized that the equality of opportunities in the labour market, social life, education and public life generates economic benefits, while the lack of such equality causes losses. To prove that the equality of opportunities enhances the value of human capital, the authors carried out their own research and referred to the findings of other empirical studies, data from the Central Statistical Office, Eurostat and expert opinions from such institutions as the European Institute for Equality of Women and Men in Vilnius (EIGE) and the World Economic Forum, OECD.

The article presents the factors that limit starting one’s own business. Self-employment is one way to integrate disabled people into the labour market and to utilize resources from the labour force of disabled people. The results are obtained on the basis of a study conducted by the author in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship among people with disabilities. The conducted research shows that self-employment is not willingly chosen by people with disabilities. People with disabilities see many negative factors (reasons) that make it difficult to set up and run their own businesses. Their state of health and a lack of resources are the main hindrances to starting a business. The tools/instruments used by the state to facilitate self-employment are also indicated. Through self-employment people with disabilities create a workplace (position) for themselves and decide to enter or return to the labour market. Bureacratic support and appropriate motivation to take up professional activity is also very important as it reduces the number of those who remain unemployed.

Streszczenie. W artykule ukazano zróżnicowanie na polskim i europejskim rynku pracy z perspektywy równości szans populacji kobiet. Omówiono ekonomiczny kontekst polityki równościowej. Zaprezentowano mierniki określające zróżnicowanie sytuacji dochodowej według płci. Przedstawione wyniki badań potwierdziły słabszą pozycję kobiet, bowiem tę grupę na rynku pracy wyróżnia niższy wskaźnik zatrudnienia i wyższa stopa bezrobocia. Niedostateczny jest także udział kobiet w gremiach decyzyjnych, ciałach przedstawicielskich zarówno w biznesie, jak i w polityce, w życiu publicznym. Innym obszarem porów-nań były płace i wynagrodzenia. Dane statystyczne potwierdzają, że zarówno w Polsce, jak i w krajach europejskich utrzymują się istotne różnice w zarobkach kobiet i mężczyzn (ang. gender pay gap). Na podstawie porównań według sumarycznego wskaźnika równości płci (GII) zauważa się wyraźne dysproporcje między krajami rozwiniętymi, w tym pań-stwami skandynawskimi, państwami śródziemnomorskimi, a krajami Europy Środkowo--Wschodniej. Słowa kluczowe: równość szans • rynek pracy • luka płacowa (GPG) • indeks nierówno-ści (GII)Abstract. In the article was shown diversification on the Polish and European labor market from the perspective of equal opportunities populations women. There was discussed the economic context of equal chances policy. There were presented measures specifying the diversity of the income situation by gender. The research results confirmed the weaker position of women because this group in the labor market is distinguished by a lower employment rate, the higher unemployment rate. Insufficient is also the participation of women in decision-making bodies, representative bodies both in business and in politics, in public life. Another area of the comparisons were wages and salaries. Statistical data confirmed that both in Poland and in the European countries remain substantial differ-

This paper aims at presenting the role of human capital in the development of the rural areas. The research is based on the secondary data collected by the Central Statistical Office. The author has analysed the gross enrollment ratio, differences between voivodships in children attending primary school were observed and in the time perspective the value of this indicator decreased. The author draws attention to the role of demography and education, which are the determinants of the rural development. Education, professional qualifications and experience determine the quality of the human capital. The higher the level of education, the higher the quality of the human capital is. The conducted analysis has shown that the number of people educated in university increased. Moreover, a number of people who are educated in the secondary school or on a lower level is decreasing. In the analysed period (2007-2016) a number of citizens between 3 and 18 years old has decreased, resulting in a fall of the gross enrollment ratio for the elementary schools.