Sisterhood is an idea aimed at bringing women together, showing that it is valuable to draw mutual knowledge and experience from each other, to be together in different situations and circumstances, to show respect and encourage one another. Because together, we can achieve more
In support of this idea:
- Let’s not judge each other.
- Let’s strive for effective, direct, and assertive communication.
- Let’s give each other compliments and appreciate each other (as Polish women’s self-esteem is significantly underestimated).
- Let’s support each other both in personal and professional life.
- Let’s foster collaboration over competition.
Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State, said that there is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women. Do you agree with her words?
Research shows that the concept of sisterhood is still relatively unknown in Poland. There is a belief that women are more likely to compete rather than support each other. Only 27% of the respondents (both men and women) have heard about the idea of sisterhood, and merely 10% of them observe manifestations of sisterhood in life. According to the study’s authors, there is a significant openness to change, with 64% of the respondents hoping for more sisterhood in society in the future.
Research conducted by the SWPS University, the research company Zymetria, and the herstories.pl portal.
Findings:
The study “Barriers to Career,” authored by Alicja Wysocka-Świtała, managing partner of Clue PR, and Dr. Marta Bierca from SWPS, shows that women experience oppressive behaviors from both men and women, such as questions about their personal lives, comments on appearance, interruption during speeches, condescension, and undermining of competencies:
- 23% of women experience questions about their personal lives from men, and 26% from other women.
- 21% of women report experiencing comments about their appearance from men, and 22% from other women.
- 19% of women experience interruptions during speeches by men, and 23% by other women.
- 19% of women declare that men in the professional environment treat them condescendingly, and 20% of women feel the same treatment from other women.
- 14% of women stated that they feel their competencies are undermined by men, while 16% said that other women engage in the same behavior.
Only 1/4 of the respondents declared that they don’t experience any of the mentioned oppressive behaviors in the professional environment
