Gender and economic opportunities in Poland: Has transition left women behind? Report of the World Bank March 2004

Report of the World Bank on the situation of women on the labour market in Poland after 1989 Result of team work involving: Experts from Poland Government Plenipotentiary for the Equal Status of Women and Men in Poland Multi-disciplinary World Bank Team Present the most significant inequalities in women’s and men’s access to economic opportunities Discusses the reasons of these inequalities Makes recommendations for improvement in the specific fields

Main findings of the Report The transition period-main trends Shift from centralised planned economy towards market economy based on the principle of economic effectiveness Changes in ownership structure- the number of private companies has increased Introduction of employer-oriented labour market: employers’ expectations toward employees (efficiency, availability, productivity) has increased Unemployment has appeared and begun to grow Number of institutional forms of childcare (day-care centres and nursery schools) has been increased

Main findings of the Report The legal regulations and the reality Poland’s legal system provides equal treatment for women and men in access to work, vocational training and promotion, as well as working conditions The situation of working women is affected by a double role they are expected to fulfil according to the stereotypical model of family life This model assume that women’s first role is child care and care for elderly and disabled Women’s professional career must be reconciled with her role in family life

Main findings of the Report Several Areas of the Economy in which Gender Differences Occur Employment among men (50.8% in 2002) is higher than employment among women (38.9%), even if women, on average, are better educated then men Men outnumber slightly among the unemployed, yet long term unemployment prevails among women (45.5% of men compared to 50.7 % of women) The average salary of female employees is about 20% lower than that of men The retirement benefits level is 30% lower for women, due to different retirement age for women (60 years) and men (65 years), lower wage base and longer periods of unemployment for women Women more frequently work part-time (13 % of women compared to 9% of men)

Main findings of the Report Several Areas of the Economy in which Gender Differences Occur Women dominated in the low status public sector professions, such as education, health care and social welfare Women and men are both eligible for the majority benefits which were introduced to reconcile professional and family obligations but mainly women profit from these benefits Women are perceived in a stereotypical way as less efficient at work comparing to men because of their role in a family

Main findings of the Report Several Areas of the Economy in which Gender Differences Occur Women in rural areas become more active in the labour market since 1989 but their workload is still determined by the traditional division of the roles in a family Only a marginal number of women has retain position of control and authority in the economy and politics-”glass ceiling phenomenon ”

Main findings of the Report Several Areas of the Economy in which Gender Differences Occur Women demonstrate the high level of economic initiative- between 1985 and 1998, the number of women with their own registered company outside farming grew five times comparing to two times for men The representation of women among the total self-employed in Poland as among the highest compared to other European countries- 34% On average, companies run by women are slightly smaller then companies run by men Women tend to specialize in commerce and services

Gender pay gap in Poland Level of educationGender pay gap (in %) Total20,3% Higher47,3% College25,7% Secondary vocational23,5% Secondary comprehensive14,0% Vocational43,2% Primary and lower35,7%

Main recommendations of the Report 1.In the legislative area: Implementing the same retirement age for men and women to reduce poverty among older women Promoting part – time work to help women to reconcile family duties and work Including periods of care for a sick child in the base of the retirement benefits

Main recommendations of the Report 2.In the field of promotion of female employment and poverty prevention: Offering loans and credits for women starting their own business Developing network institutional care for children and other family member requiring care Developing women’s business and rural organisations Developing advisory and educational services for businesswoman and woman from rural areas

Main recommendations of the Report 3.In the area of social relations Eliminating social stereotypes from the school curriculum Promoting gender neutral employee assessment in the workplace Building awareness of sexual harassment policies and penalties in the work place

National Action Plan for Women (NAP) for second stage A government document approved by the Council of Ministers on August 19th 2003 A response to the lack of progress in eliminating gender inequality and failure of implementation of the first phase of the National Action Plan ( ) A result of the government declaration to implement the decisions of the Beijing Summit for equal opportunities for women and men

National Action Plan for Women (NAP) for second stage Designed to be implemented by both national government and local authorities in cooperation with research institutions, NGOs, trade unions and the media Financed from the budget of national and regional authorities; no further resources have been programmed Provide instrument for implementing and monitoring decisions regarding equal opportunities Requires including gender mainstreaming in the project of national and regional governments

National Action Plan for Women (NAP) for second stage divided into 9 chapters, reflecting various areas of women and men activities Women’s rights as human rights Professional activities of women Violence against women Women’s health Education Women’s participation in politics and decision-making process Women and the mass media Cooperation between the government and NGOs Research and data collections

The NAP response to the World Bank recomendations regarding labour market 1.World Bank recommendations included in the NAP Offering continuous professional training for women Offering information and advisory services for working and unemployed women Developing a network for institutional care for children and elderly Eliminating social stereotypes from school curricula Involving NGOs and media in promoting gender equality Building awareness of sexual harassment policies and penalties in the work place

The NAP response to the World Bank recomendations regarding labour market 2. World Bank recommendations recognized as a subject of further studies in the NAP Equal retirement age and flexible employment schemes Creating HR positions for sexual harassment cases Promoting gender neutral employee assessment in the workplace

The NAP response to World Bank recomendations regarding labour market 3. World Bank recommendations not included in the NAP Raising the level of women’s income during period of childcare Including the period of childcare in the base of the retirement benefits Offering special loans and credits for women Revitalising rural women’s organisations

Women at work in Poland Conclusions In the transition period in Poland, gender inequalities became more visible Negative cultural stereotypes have still affected women position on labour market Women are perceived by employers as less effective and less time- flexible because of their maternal role Women are at less favourable position with the access to income, retirement benefits and social welfare

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