Peasant Women: A Legacy of Poverty, Work, and Silence

This article provides an in-depth analysis of the fate of rural women in the Second Polish Republic, shedding light on their daily struggles with poverty and exhausting work. The author examines the phenomenon of "table love"—a mechanism in which food became the only acceptable vehicle for emotion in a culture of silence. The text also addresses the high infant mortality rate and the trauma of domestic service. A key element of the discussion is the impact of this rural habitus on contemporary generations who, despite social advancement, still struggle with class anxiety and the "revolution that was dreamed of." This is a moving portrayal of a legacy that shaped the identity of millions of Poles, hidden beneath a layer of shame and the unprocessed history of their ancestors.