Between Feminism and the Catholic Church: The Women's Movement in Poland

Abstract

This article looks at Polish women's movements in the context of how women's & social movements are defined theoretically & in the light of the development of the women's movement in Poland historically. It examines how the women's movement fits into Polish society in the light of public opinion on the women's movement, women's rights & issues of equality, also looking at how these views evolved over the 1990s, & the reasons behind them. It explores the different types of women's movements that exist in Poland, differentiating between them in terms of how much they conform to definitions of 'traditional' & 'new' social movements & in terms of the role they play in effectuating change, their relationships with domestic & international organisations, their relationship to the Catholic Church, their strategies, their formal & informal nature, & other distinguishing criteria.