Mateusz Morawiecki made the declaration at a conference entitled The Polish Woman of the 21st Century in Warsaw on Wednesday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Addressing the event, which was held to mark International Women’s Day, the Polish prime minister said: “For female entrepreneurs, who want to create their own companies, the government will shortly unveil a special programme. Under this scheme, PLN 1 billion (EUR 210 million) will be allocated every year for helping women set up their own businesses.”
New healthcare programmes for women
Morawiecki also vowed that his government would introduce new policies to protect women’s health.
He said: “We are implementing state-of-the-art mammography procedures. In a few months, there will be a new free-of-charge vaccine against the human papillomavirus (HPV) to ensure that children grow up in health and peace.”
The prime minister declared: “We seek to make sure that Polish women can feel as well looked-after as in many Western European countries, if not better. We’ll be delivering big programmes in this policy area.”
‘Poland is a woman’
In his speech, Morawiecki paid tribute to Polish women on their day. He noted that Poland had granted voting rights to women in November 1918, "as one of the first countries to do so.”
He also said that Poland’s first democratically elected parliament featured eight female lawmakers, “which was absolutely unheard of in those times.”
He added: “Poland is a woman. When I look at today’s female leaders, managers, entrepreneurs, who can take the initiative during difficult times, this is the first thought that comes to my mind.”
“If I were to describe the women of our times with one word, it would be ‘resourcefulness,’” he told the conference. "Resourcefulness lies at the heart of the success of many women."
Other words that "aptly describe women" are “intelligence, wisdom, perseverance, creativity, consistency and diligence," according to Morawiecki.
'Poland has biggest share of women among managers in EU'
Morawiecki stated: “Poland has the biggest share of women among managers in the European Union, 43.7 percent.”
He added, addressing women: “Dear ladies, this is thanks to you, your perseverance and determination.”
He also argued that “more and more women are entering the labour market," and that "the government has contributed to this because we have tripled the number of nursery places for children.”
The prime minister said this had allowed women “to be more active in social life and professionally,” with “the number of nursery places being constantly increased.”
Morawiecki said he believed that Polish women, “our mothers, grandmothers, wifes, sisters and daughters, appreciate that today the government spends between PLN 8,000 (EUR 1,710) and PLN 10,000 (EUR 2,100) a year on every child through our various social programmes.”
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, niezalezna.pl
Radio Poland's Danuta Isler talked to former deputy prime minister Jadwiga Emilewicz, who was a guest speaker at the Warsaw conference.
Photo: Danuta Isler/Radio Poland
Click on the audio player above to hear the interview.