Taking women's rights seriously

Women's struggle for a new "social contract" in Poland

Bibliographic Data

ID13112445
AuthorsAnna Śledzińska-Simon (0000-0002-4202-5260, University of Wrocław, corresponding author), Anna Wójcik (0000-0003-4439-143X, University of Wrocław)
Year2024
Volume15
Issue1
Pages20-56
Publication date2024-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePravni zapisi (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2406-1387 • E-ISSN: 2217-2815
PublisherFaculty of Agronomy in Čačak (PUBLISHER • RS)
DOI10.5937/pravzap0-50567
OpenAlexW4400807149
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited29

The article traces the trajectory of the struggle for woman's rights in Poland from 1989 to the present. It argues that the democratic transition successfully shaped the foundations of a liberal regime, but was accompanied from the outset by an agreement between the government and the Catholic Church that limited reproductive rights and led to a re-traditionalization of gender roles. This context is crucial to understanding the Constitutional Tribunal's interpretation of the constitution, which reinforced a kind of sexual contract, seeking to domesticate women. The change of government in 2015 significantly weakened guarantees of the rule of law and further curtailed reproductive rights, prompting mass protests and the mobilization of democratic opposition. This article posits that the overthrow of the illiberal regime in the recent parliamentary elections marks the beginning of a new social contract in Poland, in which woman's rights are taken seriously

Business · Political science · Politics · Social contract · Sociology · Gender Politics and Representation · Gender Studies · Historical Gender and Feminism Studies · Law · Social Policy and Reform Studies

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