Actions, not words

After the Prime Minister's words, there was a discussion about the real causes of demographic decline. Source: photograph by the president of the Council of Ministers, wikimedia commons (CC BY 3.0 PL)

It is said that it was women who secured the triumph of the current ruling coalition and that they were besides promised the most. Today, after 2 years and fewer fulfilled commitments, disappointment grows and polls well reflect the mixed feelings of society. The government is trying to regain support by pointing out to the PiS and the Confederacy animosity towards women, including by recalling the already celebrated banner with a "dog" presented on 11 November. However, it does not focus on proposing its own solution.

The government announced in October a fundamental change in the approach to women's health, presenting it as a breakthrough to which the Poles were to wait for years. The information run highlighted a fresh language and a fresh sensitivity: patient subjectivity, partner communication, "humane" perinatal standards, designed to unspeak experience from births known from media coverage and reports of women's organizations. In the government's message, it is proof of a real, not a declarative change, a step towards a state that yet treats women with respect. The problem is that most of these solutions not only are not revolutions, but are a set of simple principles that have long been in force in many European countries. This is not the effect of political courage or abrupt awakening of decision-makers, but late catching up, which social organizations and medical communities have pointed out to Poland for years. A change of rhetoric may be impressive, but a real change of strategy requires consequences, a control of compliance with standards, and this is clearly missing in the government's message.

“New regulations are a kind of a civilization standard,” says Prof. UAM Dr hab. Beata Pająk-Patkowska, expert in social psychology. However, he points out that their assessment is not apparent at all. To a large extent, it depends on the attitude that citizens have towards the government. Those supporting the ruling coalition see in these changes evidence of concern for women and fulfillment of promises, and those who are skeptical towards power see alternatively late work packed in attractive PR packaging. “The authenticity of the action is the consequence of coherence and taking circumstantial actions regardless of the context,” comments the researcher. And this consistency, in her opinion, is inactive lacking in Polish politics.

Image and Reality

Dissonance is peculiarly visible where declarations collide with realities. The debate on the legal position of abortion, which is inactive suspended, from 1 period to the next, deepens the sense of inconsistency. This is accompanied by events striking a basic sense of women's safety. A series of attacks with butter acid on the Warsaw clinic AboYes is the most drastic example. The facility, providing assistance besides in the field of pharmacological abortion, has since its beginning become the mark of assault, while calls for a decisive consequence from the authorities are accompanied by silence. This deficiency of action not only undermines the credibility of government declarations, but besides strengthens the public's belief that power is curious in women mainly erstwhile it is politically convenient.

The image is besides complicated by Prime Minister Donald Tusk's last message for "The Sunday Times", in which he suggests that the Poles "don't want to take responsibility", which he believes explains low natural growth. The confrontation of the message with the national communicative with full assurances of concern and empathy has provoked widespread outrage, but has besides deepened doubts about the coherence of government actions. “More than strangers are forgiven for theirs,” explains prof. Spider-Patkowska. It notes that communication inconsistencies lead to a decline in trust, although its designation depends on the political sympathy of the recipients. This phenomenon further strengthens the request to avoid cognitive dissonance. Negative signals about a popular policy are easier to ignore and those about an opponent to exaggerate. In this context, the way government narratives affect women themselves is peculiarly important. The slogans about a “friendly country” or “supporting motherhood” do not change much unless they are accompanied by real safety guarantees – physical, economic, ecological or geopolitical. “The issue of motherhood is 1 of the most intimate things,” says the expert. She recalls that it is simply a female who bears the main wellness risks of pregnancy and childbirth, and in crisis situations she is frequently alone, abandoned not only by the father of children, but besides by the state. Under specified conditions, the decision to postpone or abandon motherhood does not gotta be, as the Prime Minister suggests, a sign of comfort. On the contrary, it can be a evidence to maturity, work and a sober assessment of reality.

Therefore, the eventual test of the credibility of family-friendly policy is not press conferences or information campaigns, but consistency, predictability and keeping promises. "If we neglect erstwhile again, it will be harder to convince ourselves" – recalls Prof. Pająk-Patkowska. And in Poland, the failure of women became a political routine. Although the current government besides introduces any affirmative changes, specified as an in vitro refund, the expert considers them besides shallow to truly reverse the trend – less and less young Poles want to have children. Neither PR nor moralist comments will change that.

Women, being 1 of the key election groups, deserve more than marketing gestures. They deserve a country that listens to them, protects them and takes them seriously. Until this standard is met, any effort to make a “friendly face” will only be perceived as another image treatment regardless of who is in charge of the government.

MAZIOPA OIL