POLISH WOMEN ON THE WAY OF GOOD CHANGES
JADWIGA WIŚNIEWSKA
Every year on 8 March the European Parliament pays particular attention to the Commission of Women’s Rights and Equal Rights. And although there are feminists in it who are spreading an ideological chaos, this time they have done something useful: they drew the attention of the European Parliament to a weaker economic situation of women. What is more, following the example of Poland, they could also understand that the gender ideology is not a solution to this problem.
The weaker economic position of women is a challenge for the whole European Union. According to the Eurostat, in the whole community women earn by 16.7 per cent less than men doing the same work. If one looked at this difference with the eyes of an employer, it means that European women work for free for 2 months in a year (or for an hour and 20 minutes daily). Certainly, it also results in a difference in the amount of their pensions: it is estimated that in the whole European Union it amounts to even 40 percent! Despite the fact that, pension systems are very complicated mechanisms and function differently in each country of the EU, experts agree on one thing: the lower level of women’s pensions is the result of lower salaries, and the problem is particularly visible among mothers.
On this basis, Poland is shining unusually brightly. The report PricewaterhouseCoopers entitled: ‘Women in Work Index 2017’ shows that in respect of justice concerning salaries, Poland is in the strict leading group of countries. Comparing to other countries of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, the difference in the level of salaries among Polish women and men is only 6.7 per cent. The report also shows that if we maintain the previous pace – till 2021 we will be the first country in which the so-called salary gap will disappear. To compare: it is predicted that in Germany the same effect will appear in….2297! Certainly, in the eyes of MEPs of the national opposition, any kind of a success of Homeland may be the result of only a mistake in calculations, due to which a method of investigation was questioned officially in the EP. However, the truth cannot be falsified – other reports confirm conclusions of PwC about the exceptional situation of Polish women. For, not only do they have honest superiors, but they are also in the strict leading group, as for being the chief. According to Eurostat, nearly every third entrepreneur employing workers is a woman. Only Spain gained a not much better result. When we add results of the worldwide investigation ‘Women in Business 2017’ to it, according to which women in Poland are 40 per cent of the supreme posts, whereas the EU average is only 25 per cent, we see clearly that accusations of alleged breaching rights of women in Poland are fabricated.
The approaching session of the UNO Commission for the Status of Women, which will also concern strengthening the economic position of women, is a good occasion to draw conclusions of Polish experiences. It is years since feminists have been competing in their ideas about how to provide women with equal rights: from abortion to their wish, through universal parities, till absurd like abolishing the division of toilets into toilets for ladies and men. Life verified even the silliest ideas. Certainly, it does not mean, that in Poland we have nothing to work on – but on contrary. Recent studies show, however, that the way to equal rights of women is not devious feminism but simply the common sense. It is time it was noticed also in Brussels.
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„Niedziela” 12/2017