Women in Poland are now more than ever at the heart of public attention. The closer we get to the election date, the more political declarations affecting women’s lives we hear. With numerous research studies proving that women’s participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections in Poland will be politically decisive, the number of offers from party leaders is rising on a daily basis.
In Hungary, women received full suffrage in 1945, after which their number in the parliament increased continuously until 1980. In the most favorable periods female representation was one third of the parliament, which can already be considered a “critical mass of women”.
In this episode, we talk about women’s rights in India, sexual violence, the caste system, the origins of power of Indian nationalism and Nerendra Modi, and the increasing intergenerational tensions in India.
I can imagine left-wing female councilors being able to work with nuns at a community center. Difficult times require extraordinary actions and searching for compromises. I am a huge fan of the slogan “Girls, don’t be so b….. to each other”.
Lockdowns and other restrictive measures to keep people in their homes and prevent socializing with others were introduced. But what if home is not a safe place? What if being locked down with a member of your family or a partner is the very definition of being unsafe and at risk of physical injury or psychological abuse?
In cultural anthropology, among many typologies of social cultures, there is also a division into masculine and feminine cultures. This division results from the difference in characteristics attributed to men and women. The basic difference arises from biology, which determines the role of women and men in the process of procreation.
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a boom in the use of digital solutions like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, enabling employees across the world to continue working at home, away from their now empty offices. Some companies have struggled to adapt, clinging to the hope of a speedy return to the old normal.
Legally, the performance of Adam Bodnar’s duties after the end of his term of office remains constitutional, while in the legal fiction of the Law and Justice (PiS) party, it will probably be enforced to deprive him of the tools to perform them. Polish women and Poles will be left without an ombudsman.
The current pandemic and the previous lockdown had effects on several areas of life, including work and social life. However, there is a rather neglected sphere which is rarely discussed in the media compared with other topics.
On the occasion of the International Women’s Day, I asked four MEPs from Central-Eastern Europe what they think where we stand now on the issue of female political leadership in Europe. I was interested in what they consider the biggest obstacles for women pursuing a career in politics.
