Battle of the Sexes

Gender roles define the responsibilities of males and females in a society. In Poland, influences on the country’s unique gender roles are due to the country’s time under the influence of Communism. For women, they were afforded employment, beyond their traditional role of attending to household duties. A strong female presence in the workforce still continues to be felt in the country despite its transition from being a Communist country to adapting a democratic rule. Men’s duties and responsibilities were grounded in traditional roles set by Western societies. They were expected to be educated, employed, and only sometimes contribute help to household chores. They enjoy much more time for leisure, as well as higher pay compared to female workers. Perhaps the inequality of the sexes is due to the country’s strict adherence to familial culture. Poles believe that family obligations always come first. Despite the challenge of juggling home and career, Polish women still have help with upholding their responsibilities, because of the Polish culture that marks a line between individuals in their inner circles – family, extended family, and friends – and outsiders. They tend to rely on people who are part of their inner circle. Polish culture relies heavily in religion, with the country being marked as Europe’s most religious country.