As communism ended in Poland, questions arose concerning the position of women in the workplace. How would market reform affect women’s working rights? Under socialism, many Polish women had jobs, yet they were channelled into certain types of jobs and industries and were paid far less than men. Are women workers better off now? Research by the European Studies Research Institute at the University of Salford examines what effect Poland’s market-led reforms have had on women’s access to jobs as they compete with the men for work and wages. Will economic transition in Central and Eastern Europe further disadvantage women? Clearly, women have already been adversely affected but is this due to gender alone or have other factors also played a role?