After the Second World War of 1945, the world found itself embroiled into another conflict between the two remaining superpowers – the United States and the Soviet Union. Many anticipated the conflict between these two powers considering the influence they have in the international arena and the impact it would bring to the countries that will find themselves caught in the crossfire. Poland, for example, had found itself in the middle of the conflict due to the long-term interest of the Soviet Union to the country as part of their expansion to the Western European region. After 20 years since the war ended, Poland has managed to recover from the political, social and economic slump brought by the Cold War; however, the issue on gender roles, Poland remains organized when it comes to women’s rights.
In the political aspect, Poland is considered to be one of the first two countries that had undergone a democratic transition alongside Hungary in order to stop the socialist system. Polish officials had undergone the Round Table Talks alongside anti-socialist groups such as Solidarity to discuss as to how they could introduce democracy to the country. The discussions revolved in providing 65% of the lower house (the Sejm) to the Polish United Workers’ Party (PZRP) and its sub-parties and created a Senate that can be filled by members voted upon the election. The ruling parties had accepted the proposal after the discussions and had its first founding election using two-leg ballots on June 4 and 18, 1989, electing General Wojciech Jaruzelki as the president. Jaruzelski had been the proponent of an earlier martial law in the country in 1981 to stop the Soviet intervention in the country . With the introduction of democracy, Poland had managed to begin the transition to creating a free market that allowed them to be considered one of the most successful former Soviet territories in the CEE region. Since the introduction of the free market in the 1990s, Poland’s economy had shifted positively in order to ensure the increase in import and export in the country. In 2011, for example, the country’s GDP has increased from 57.8% in 2001 to 88% in 2011. Since the economy is very productive, especially due to its inclusion to the European Union, Polish citizens benefitted greatly as the country is competing well with its Western counterparts in improving the services such as communication and transportation expenses and job opportunities for the people. Self-employment is also prominent in some households in Poland, while poverty is attached to the number of children in the family .
While these changes in the government, economy and society is optimistic, the same cannot be said for gender roles. Polish Women are mostly working part-time in the area since the 1990s, mostly only working in education, health and social sectors due to the ineffectiveness of entrepreneurship programs launched by the Polish government. Gender institutions and women’s organizations also find it difficult to move around Poland due to the lack of funding now used for other crucial programs for social development and economy. Given these changes, it is safe to say that Poland has indeed managed to recover from the ordeal caused by the Cold War. The shift to democracy and economic progress enabled social development. However, if the Polish government remains ignorant over the issue on gender roles and opportunities for women, it is likely that the changes would eventually lead into an influx of decline even if the situation in the region remains favorable politically or economically.
Works Cited
Gonzalez-Enriquez, Carmen. "The Peculiar Traits of the Polish Transition." Seminar on Democratic Transition and Consolidation, 2001-2002; The Transition to Democracy in Poland. Madrid: FRIDE, 2002. 21-26. Web. 13 March 2014. <http://www.fride.org/download/CR_polonia_ing_mar02.pdf>.
Nowak, Agnieszka. Women's status in Poland: a permanent crisis. Occasional Papers. Montevideo: Social Watch, 2010. Web. 14 March 2014. <http://www.socialwatch.org/sites/default/files/B15Poland2010_eng.pdf>.
Stolarczyk, Piotr and Aleksander Laszek. Socially Just, Sustainable and Dynamic Growth for a Good Society: A Case Study for Poland. Case Study. Seoul: Friedrich-Ebert-Stitfung, 2012. Print.
