Legal and Societal Obstacles to Obtaining Equal Rights by Women: The Way to Equality of Rights according to Paulina Kuczalska-Reinschmit

The paper presents the road to equal rights outlined by Paulina Kuczalska-Reinschmit, who was one of the most prominent feminists of her time (she was the editor-in-chief of the “Ster” magazine and one of the founders of the Association for the Equal Rights of Polish Women). For Kuczalska, women’s suffrage was only a means to achieve the goal of women’s equality. The paper analyses the provisions of the Napoleonic Code that took away women’s right to self-determination, independence and autonomy. The turn of the 19th and 20th centuries also saw a gap in educational opportunities of the same quality as those available to men. Another problem covered by the article are habits and customs. According to Kuczalska, the most important thing on the road to equal rights was to change these habits and customs, because they gave an advantage to men in all spheres of life. Only the active attitude of women could change this situation, which is why, this was encouraged on pages of “Ster” by the founder of that magazine.