Gender and Power: A Comparative Analysis of Sex Segregation in Polish and American Higher Education, 1965-1985

This article discusses Mann's model of power and its application to the sociology of gender. The model is used in a cross-national study of gender power in Poland and in the United States. It is demonstrated that the collective power of American men and their distributive power over women have been higher than the power of Polish men. Moreover, the power of American men has been diffused and extensive, while that of Polish men has been authoritative and intensive throughout most of the period since World War II. The nature of gender power is shown to influence the levels of sex segregation in higher education. Sex segregation in the Polish system of higher education was lower than in the American system in 1965 and in the 1970s, but it was slightly higher in the 1980s. These results are interpreted as reflecting historical changes in both countries: the increase in the collective power of American women and shifts in the reach of political and ideological power in Poland.