In the front line: women, work and new spaces of labour politics in Poland

Abstract

Pessimistic accounts of women's lives in post-communist Poland view women as powerless and passive victims of the transformation process. In contrast, this article argues that while political change and the restructuring of the economy have closed down some spaces of articulation and organisation, others have opened up. The article focuses on the way in which women in their spheres of work are shaping and actively resisting change through new organisations and individual and collective actions, which are in some ways a break with the past, but in other ways build on previous forms of activity. The work draws on qualitative research conducted over the last decade across Poland. This has coupled extensive interviews with women workers, national and regional trade union leaders, activists and feminists in a number of major Polish cities with reviews of Polish media and policy. We examine the economic and ideological context in which these new articulations are taking place, against the background of Poland's post-war communism and the rise of opposition movements. We look at the neoliberal restructuring of the economy and the implications for women within the labour market and in their domestic lives. In particular, we examine initiatives from below in workplace organisation, by focusing on new unions and new actions in the public sector, and the beginnings of organisation in the new areas of the economy such as supermarkets. Finally, we look at how women are articulating their interests beyond formal workplaces. We conclude that we should be optimistic about these new spaces of activism. While some are well established, others are embryonic but provide a strong foundation on which women can increase their participation in spaces that promote their varied interests

The feminization of governance in rural communities in Poland: the case of village representatives (sołtys)

“…In this context, rural women become significant agents, not as a result of gender mainstreaming policy, but because of autonomous development typical in rural areas in Central and Eastern European countries. This corresponds with research by Hardy, Kozek, and Stenning, which showed that Polish women workers were not the powerless and passive victims of systemic transformation, but rather able to act for themselves (Hardy, Kozek, and Stenning 2008). Therefore, the feminization of the function of village representative may contribute to the empowerment of rural women, which means the process of change toward gender equality, with women as its agents (Malhotra and Schuler 2005).…”

Proud to be a woman: Womanhood, old age, and emotions

“…The term 'democracy with a male face' is a widely discussed phenomenon describing the situation of women in Poland. However, what this study, alongside discussed earlier research by Penn (2005) and Hardy et al (2008), demonstrates is that women do take an active role in creating the social reality. They keep on entering the public spaces to mark their presence and to become visible.…”

“…This condition is so persistent that some talk about the ghettoisation of women's issues in politics (Hardy et al, 2008). As is typical of a socialist policy, gender segregation in the labour market and gender gaps in wages remains intact; the only difference is a significant decrease in female employment that began in 1990 (Steinhilber, 2006).…”

“…New policies restricting eligibility for family and maternity benefits have begun to encroach on the reconciliation of work and family (Balcerzak-Paradowska et al, 2003;Fodor et al, 2002;Plomien, 2009). Although women continue to be better educated in comparison with men, their entry into the labour market remains more difficult (Fuszara, 2000), causing increasing levels of employment (Balcerzak-Paradowska et al, 2003) and contributing to the process of feminisation of poverty in Poland (Tarkowska, 2002).In contrast, new spaces of activism that were opened by the neo-liberal market offer hope to women, particularly at the community level (Hardy et al, 2008). Grassroots initiatives, both in the workplace and outside of it, may provide an important starting point from which the situation of women in Poland may change (ibid.…”

Varieties of trade union organizing in Central and Eastern Europe: A comparison of the retail and automotive sectors

“…In CEE also, common features include low wages, low unionization (18% in Slovenia and only 1-2% in the other countries), around 60 percent feminization, and problems with union recognition and organizing in MNCs because of employer hostility (Czarzasty, 2010;Hardy et al, 2008;Ostrowski, 2013). Thus the retail sector is a good place to study precarious employment (Mrozowicki et al, 2013), or 'employment that is uncertain, unpredictable, and risky from the point of view of the worker' (Kalleberg, 2009: 2).…”