Polish Women’s Fight for Sufffrage

Abstract

As Poland had no independence between the end of the 18th century and 1918, both women's social role and their fight for suffrage were rather idiosyncratic. Women's organizations that emerged in the 19th century were connected to the fight for national independence, and their members suffered for their political involvement. The best-known example was the all-female group 'Enthusiasts' (' Entuzjastki '), the first organized women's group working to improve women's status, particularly in education. Women's organizing was not only hindered by tradition, however, but also by legislation. In Poland, as in many other countries, the return of democracy and a real parliament in 1989 brought a decrease in the proportion of women MPs: from 20 percent to 13 percent in the first free elections. Debates regarding forms of democracy, including the introduction of a mandatory quota system, closely resemble the debates, disputes, and political processes taking place in other European countries. Keywords:Enthusiasts; European countries; Poland; Sufffrage; women's social role