Graff: Polish feminism is no longer ridiculed

For a good part of the last two decades, becoming a feminist was a sure way to make oneself ridiculous in Poland. You were viewed as a naive enthusiast of western ideas, supposedly irrelevant to Polish culture, or worse – a fossil from former times, a communist. Well, the days of feminist martyrdom are over: in the runup to Poland’s presidency of the European Union, women’s rights have become a serious and respectable topic of public debate. Feminism is all but a fad, with major celebrities speaking publicly for equality, and attending Women’s Day street demonstrations. The third European Women’s Congress, planned for September 2011 in Warsaw, is presented as one of the presidency’s major events, a showcase of Poland’s successful modernisation. The prime minister, Donald Tusk, recently said in a speech that his government intends to listen closely to the recommendations of the congress.

Read the whole article in „The Guardian”.