Dominika Sozańska

The aim of this article is to characterize the professional situation of women in Kraków and Galicia at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. It discusses data from censuses, data on women’s employment, issues of women’s education in Galicia and particular professions: teachers, domestic servants, workers and services. Work was a necessity, not the fulfillment of one’s own interests or ambitions, unmarried women worked more often, getting married meant giving up professional work. Working conditions for domestic servants were very hard, and wages were lower in industry.

The aim of this paper is to juxtapose the image of mentally ill persons in the world cinematography with the perceptions of this social category in the Polish society. Analysis made by the author was based on the selection of well known movies to compare with some results that are available in the reports published by CBOS (a  Polish Public Opinion Research Centre). In both sources the social isolation of mentally ill people is a key trait of their image, moreover, the way mental illness is shown in movies is relatively stereotypical and departs from scientific knowledge, whereas people interviewed in the surveys regarding their contacts with and attitudes toward the mentally ill individuals reveal their apprehension and willingness to keep a distance. 

This paper provides a possible answer to the question of why so few people with disabilities enter the labor market. Introductory remarks on the importance of work and being employed in human life are followed by different definitions of disability. By reference to the basic facts about employing people with disabilities in Poland, the author identifies and examines the obstacles that make it difficult for a disabled person to get a job. Along with architectural barriers in the workplace and unfavorable attitude of the employers, there is another factor that narrows down the range of job offers available to disabled individuals: an average level of education in this group of people, comparing to others, is lower. As a consequence, job and life opportunities for this social group remain significantly limited.