Polish women are well educated and eager to advance their careers, yet they often don’t compete on equal terms. Last week Dr Eliza Kania (CALSS Research Office/Brunel Public Policy) presented at the “ToGetHer in Europe: Perspective of Polish Women” conference. The event took place in the European Parliament in Brussels on 9th April 2025.
Source: Brunel Public Policy
The conference was organised by European Parliament Vice-President and former Polish Prime Minister, Ewa Kopacz. It brought together distinguished speakers including European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and Secretary-General of the European Parliament Alessandro Chiocchetti, Polish MPs and MEPs, as well as researchers associated with Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and Brunel University of London, who presented on barriers to equal access across science, education, politics, sports, and employment.
Among speakers opening the debate were:
- Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament
- Ewa Kopacz, Vice-President of the European Parliament
- Alessandro Chiocchetti, Secretary-General of the European Parliament
- Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, Undersecretary of State (Directorate for European Union Affairs)
- Agnieszka Bartol, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the EU
- Prof Iwetta Andruszkiewicz, Director of the Research Centre on Women’s Participation in Public Sphere at AMU.
The engaging discussion on women’s participation in public space was preceded by presentations from researchers who presented the successes, as well as barriers and limitations for women in equal access to science, the labour market, education, politics, and sport. Two topical panels (moderated by Prof Iwetta Andruszkiewicz and MP Małgorzata Niemczyk) featured: Prof Robert Kmieciak, Prof Grażyna Strnad, Prof Iwetta Andruszkiewicz, Dr Eliza Kania, Prof Beata Pająk-Patkowska, Dr Grażyna Barabasz, and Łukasz Stypa, MA. Eleven female members of the Polish Parliament and three Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) also took part in the conference and the subsequent debate.
Dr Kania delivered a presentation on women’s participation in the labour market, focusing on systemic inequalities, pension poverty, and the unequal distribution of unpaid care work, examined through the lens of public policy challenges.
The conference was organised as part of the events associated with Poland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/embed/feed/update/urn:li:share:7317868985578930176
