Równość praw i szans kobiet na rynku pracy w Polsce i Unii Europejskiej

The paper introduces and outlines the question of equality in the labour market in Poland and the European Union in the context of sustainable development. The major objectives of the sustainable development policy in that respect are: (i) to specify needs and policy measures improving women's access to and participation in the labour market including their career development and access to new job opportunities, (ii) to reduce vertical and horizontal segregation on the basis of gender in the labour market. Female share in the Polish workforce is relatively high but there remain inequalities in earnings, status a11d representation in some sectors of economy. The existing barriers should be removed by the development of pro-family policies and encouraging employers - and women themselves - to overcome "glass ceilings" for women already in the labour market and in the social life. The attention should be focused on removing occupational stereotyping of women and ensuring them equal opportunity to enter all professions and occupations amongst others through schooling and provision of career advice which will help to ensure that men and women have real choice of careers. The government policy should be a framework of legislative and non-legislative actions with the aims: to promote (i) mainstreaming of equal opportunities at all levels of policy 1; making, (ii) equal opportunities in the labour market, (iii) gender balance in decision making, and to enable women to exercise their rights of equality.