: A case study of Poland
Translated title
Women's self-employment
Author
Momot, Magdalena
Term
10. term
Publication year
2010
Submitted on
2010-07-30
Pages
50
Abstract
Afhandlingen undersøger kvinders selvstændighed i Polen i lyset af vedvarende kønsulighed på arbejdsmarkedet trods formel ligestilling efter EU-medlemskabet. Den centrale problemstilling er, hvad der motiverer kvinder til at blive selvstændige, hvilke barrierer og gevinster de møder, samt om selvstændighed kan styrke kvinders adgang til økonomisk magt og udfordre stereotype roller som hustru og mor. Studiet anvender en mixed-methods-tilgang med et online spørgeskema blandt 177 respondenter suppleret af semistrukturerede interviews med selvstændige kvinder og sekundære data, analyseret gennem Pierre Bourdieus begreber om felt, habitus og kapital. Respondenterne oplever diskrimination og at arbejdsgivere ser dem som mødre/hustruer før som medarbejdere; de er bevidste om ulighed, men tilpasser sig ofte en underordnet position, og der er uoverensstemmelser mellem erklærede holdninger og handlinger. Selvstændighed fremstår som en mulig vej til at opbygge nye kompetencer, øge autonomi og økonomisk handlekraft og dermed påvirke kønsrelationer; de fleste virksomheder er enkeltmandsvirksomheder, men mange planlægger at udvide. I en polsk kontekst med begrænset forskning på området bidrager studiet med indsigter i drivkræfter, barrierer og potentielle gevinster ved kvinders selvstændighed.
This thesis examines women’s self-employment in Poland against the backdrop of persistent gender inequality in the labor market despite formal equality after EU accession. It asks what motivates women to become self-employed, what barriers and benefits they encounter, and whether self-employment can strengthen women’s access to economic power and challenge stereotypical roles as wife and mother. The study uses a mixed-methods design combining an online questionnaire completed by 177 respondents with semi-structured interviews with self-employed women and secondary data, analyzed through Pierre Bourdieu’s field, habitus, and capital framework. Respondents report discrimination and being viewed by employers as mothers/wives before employees; they recognize unfairness yet often adapt to a subordinate position, revealing tensions between stated attitudes and actions. Self-employment emerges as a potential pathway to build skills, autonomy, and economic agency and thus reshape gender relations; most firms are one-person businesses, but many plan to expand. In a Polish context with limited prior research, the study contributes insights into drivers, barriers, and potential gains of women’s self-employment.
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