Brenda S. Bishop aspect of women's lives. Women within the trade union Solidamosc are beginning to draw attention to the special problems of working women and to develop structures that can address them.
But at the same time, women are facing a far-reaching assault on their legal rights and living standards that threatens to set them back decades. As the new government of Solidarnosc-allied intellectuals and politicians rushes to privatise the ailing economy, women are becoming the majority of the new unemployed and have already lost their right to protected long term parental leave. Legislation to illegalise abortion has been introduced in the Sejm (the Polish Parliament) for the second year in a row. Women are even less represented in government than
before, while Playboy-style calen dars are displayed in most stores and offices,
Never has it been more critical for women to unite to defend their rights. While the potential for such organisation exists, there are many obstacles which must first be overcome.
A twisted history of
subordination
The situation of