B. Positive aspects

4. The Committee welcomes the progress achieved since the consideration in 2007 of the State party’s combined fourth and fifth periodic reports (CEDAW/C/POL/4-5) and sixth periodic report (CEDAW/C/POL/6) in undertaking legislative reforms, in particular the adoption of the following:

(e) Act on equal treatment, which aims at guaranteeing equal treatment on the grounds of sex, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, faith, outlook, disability, age or sexual orientation, in 2010;

C. Principal areas of concern and recommendations

Stereotypes

22. The Committee notes the efforts of the Government aimed at preventing stereotyping of the social roles of women and men in the media and in society in general. However, it reiterates its concern about the persistence of deep-rooted gender stereotypes concerning the roles and responsibilities of women and men in the family and society, which continue to be present in the media and education materials and are reflected by the traditional educational choices of women and their disadvantaged position in the labour market, as well as by widespread violence against women. The Committee is particularly concerned at the reported increase of stereotypical and sometimes degrading media images of women, which perpetuate sexual violence, including rape, and at the absence of a revision of textbooks. The Committee is also concerned at the absence of measures to counter the campaign by the Polish Catholic Church against “gender ideology”. The Committee points at the limited effectiveness, if any, of measures to counter negative stereotypes against Roma women, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women and women with disabilities.

23. The Committee recommends that the State party:

(e) Evaluate and strengthen measures to counter negative stereotypes against Roma women, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women and women with disabilities.

Link to full text of the report: Concluding Observations-CEDAW-Poland-2014-eng