According to the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), Poland scored 57.8 points out of 100 in the Gender Equality Index 2025, ranking 19th among EU member states. Since 2015, Poland’s score increased by 7.4 points, including an increase of 5.9 points since 2020. The improvement was driven mainly by changes in the domains of power and money. Despite this progress, Poland still performs below the EU average, and the distance from the EU mean remains visible in several dimensions of gender equality.
The Constitution of the Republic of Poland treats equal rights of men and women and the prohibition of gender discrimination in Article 33.
At the national level, equality and anti-discrimination principles are regulated primarily through constitutional provisions, labour law and European Union legislation. In recent years, questions concerning gender equality, inclusiveness and anti-discrimination policies became more visible in public debate, including within the cultural and educational sectors.
The representation of women in political institutions and public administration has gradually increased in recent years, although gender imbalance remains visible in many decision-making structures. After the parliamentary elections of 2023, the participation of women in government and public institutions became more visible than in previous administrations. In the cultural sector, women increasingly occupy leadership positions in museums, cultural institutions, academia and the creative industries, although structural inequalities remain an important subject of debate.
There are no quota schemes and most cultural institutions are managed by men, which is in line with the general trend in Poland and in Europe. Among the lower rank cultural professions, although, there is a relatively high degree of feminisation.
Economic inequalities remain an important issue in Poland. The gender pay gap and differences in pension levels continue to affect women’s economic security, particularly in sectors characterised by unstable and project-based employment. According to recent EIGE data, the average pension received by men in Poland is approximately 15% higher than that received by women, although this gap has decreased by 5 percentage points since 2015. In the cultural and creative sectors, public debate increasingly concerns equal access to leadership positions, visibility of women artists and creators, work-life balance and protection against discrimination and harassment in cultural institutions.
Questions concerning women’s rights, reproductive rights and gender equality became highly visible in Polish public debate after 2020 and continue to influence social and cultural discussions. Cultural institutions, artists and NGOs frequently engage with themes related to equality, discrimination, identity and social justice through exhibitions, performances, educational projects and public debate
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