But majority say women should have different responsibilities to men. Nearly three-quarters of Poles support including women in compulsory military service or training, a new survey has found. The poll, conducted for Polish news outlet Wirtualna Polska, found that as many as 72.5% respondents backed some form of compulsory training for women. However, 50.7% of respondents suggested women should take up roles in medical services and logistics rather than identical obligations to men. Only 21.8% supported applying the same rules to women and men, while 24.8% said compulsory training should apply only to men. The findings come as Poland reassesses its civil defense amid Russia’s full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine and heightened security concerns across NATO’s eastern flank. Poland’s government has already launched voluntary readiness initiatives, including the ‘Always Ready’ program, which offers practical training in first aid, emergency response and survival skills to all citizens. Compulsory training is another proposal for strengthening national resilience. Support for women’s participation was recorded across political groups. Among voters for the governing camp of centrist Prime Minister Donald Tusk, 77% backed some form of compulsory training, compared with 68% among opposition supporters. In both groups, specialized medical and logistical roles were the most popular options. The survey was conducted online and by telephone among 1,000 respondents between 2-4 October. It has a reported margin of error of three percentage points.
Support for women’s participation was recorded across political groups. (Facebook/Sztab Generalny WP)
