The Basic Dilemmas of Women's Roles in Industrialized Societies Versus the Conflict of Polish Women

Abstract

The study entails a comparative analysis of the psycho-social issues of the women in industrialized societies and in Poland, where the said processes are markedly delayed, when compared with the countries of Western Europe. The problems of women are discussed in terms of the theory of social roles, and the main contradictions in the duties of the basic female roles are treated as the conflicts of these roles.

The first part of the study contains some terminological definitions. The second presents the main problems of the basic female question in the highly industrialized countries, generally defined as a contradiction between career and family. The third part seeks to discuss the specific character of the conflicts of roles of Polish women and the final conclusion signals threats to women’s health and social order which results from the fact that women are commonly overburdened in their roles.

The family roles of women bear a specific scope and they to a great extent define the biological determinants of sex. In the industrialized societies there is an acute clash between nonfamilial aspirations of women and their basic duties determined by these biological conditions. This conflict, however, can hardly be totally eliminated but a profamilial policy is possible, a policy which would smooth its consequences. In Poland progressive industrialization is not accompanied by social solutions, which would be an expression of that policy. An additional problem is the stereotypes which mirror the model of traditional family. Consequently, the situation of Polish women is especially difficult; they are not only overburdened by domestic duties and have to take up a job, irrespectively of the family situation, but also have to face barriers which impede their promotion in all spheres of social life (mainly the career and political spheres). These barriers are contradictory to the basic rights of women, and, indirectly, they are a serious threat to the functional character of Polish families.