ABSTRACT
This analysis of the situation of Polish women reveals the significant changes in their position that took place during early modern times. These changes encompassed the visible growth of women’s economic, cultural and political activities linked to their greater participation in education, as well as the expansion and elevation of their role in the family despite its patriarchal structure. There were even changes in the patterns of women’s behaviour as well as in mental image of a ‘perfect woman’ held by Polish society as a whole.
