Taking women's rights seriously : Women's struggle for a new "social contract" in Poland

Pravni zapisi 2024, t. 15, nr 1, s. 20-56.

Współautorstwo: Śledzińska-Simon, Anna

The article traces the trajectory of the struggle for woman’s rights in Poland from 1989 to the present. It argues that the democratic transition successfully shaped the foundations of a liberal regime, but was accompanied from the outset by an agreement between the government and the Catholic Church that limited reproductive rights and led to a re-traditionalization of gender roles. This context is crucial to understanding the Constitutional Tribunal’s interpretation of the constitution, which reinforced a kind of sexual contract, seeking to domesticate women. The change of government in 2015 significantly weakened guarantees of the rule of law and further curtailed reproductive rights, prompting mass protests and the mobilization of democratic opposition. This article posits that the overthrow of the illiberal regime in the recent parliamentary elections marks the beginning of a new social contract in Poland, in which woman’s rights are taken seriously.

Ovaj članak prati tok borbe za prava žena u Poljskoj od 1989. do danas. U njemu se tvrdi da je demokratska tranzicija uspešno oblikovala temelje liberalnog režima, ali da je od samog početka bila praćena sporazumom između vlade i Katoličke crkve koji je ograničio reproduktivna prava i doveo do vraćanja tradicionalnim rodnim ulogama. Ovaj kontekst je ključan za razumevanje tumačenja Ustavnog suda, koji je ojačao neku vrstu ugovora o rodu, nastojeći da primiri žene. Promena vlasti 2015. godine znatno je oslabila garancije vladavine prava i dodatno umanjila reproduktivna prava, što je izazvalo masovne proteste i mobilizaciju demokratske opozicije. U članku se tvrdi da svrgavanje neliberalnog režima na nedavnim parlamentarnim izborima označava početak novog društvenog ugovora u Poljskoj, u kojem se prava žena shvataju ozbiljno.