Gender inequalities. Do they exist, and what do they concern?
Authors: Michał Feliksiak, Daria Litwin
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2025-12-02
Over one-third of respondents (35%) agree that there are areas of life where women (or girls) are discriminated against, while 51% disagree. Regarding areas where men (boys) are discriminated against, nearly one-fifth (18%) agree, while 63% disagree.
Are there areas of life where:

The areas of women's discrimination mentioned by respondents in an open-ended question include primarily paid work (70%), followed by access to abortion (10%) and education (8%). For men, the most common area was also, like for women, work (21%), followed by the justice system (19%), and sexual orientation (13%).
We presented respondents with two systemic rules in which men and women are treated differently by law, asking them to determine whether they find them fair. The first is the different retirement age, which means that men must have a longer work history to qualify for retirement benefits. Opinions on whether this is fair are very divided. Slightly more people consider it unfair than fair (47% to 44%). Perception of the obligation of military service during war, which applies only to men, is less polarized. According to three-fifths of respondents (61%), this law is fair. Over one-quarter of respondents (28%) disagree.
In Poland, men must work longer than women to reach retirement age. Do you think this is fair or not?

In the event of war, military service is mandatory for men, but not for women. Do you think this is fair or not?

One-fifth of respondents (21%) have encountered situations that may indicate the education system is not adapted to the needs and capabilities of boys, while slightly fewer (15%) have observed this concerning girls. There are significant differences regarding how men and women are perceived in divorce-related situations. Six out of ten respondents (59%) have encountered inequality in this field concerning men, with half as many (28%) noting inequality against women.
More information about this topic can be found in CBOS report in Polish: “Gender inequalities. Do they exist, and what do they concern?”, December 2025. Fieldwork dates for the sample: July 2025, N=970. The random sample is representative for adult population of Poland.


