Gender; social role; social inequality; society.

The aim of the paper is to analyse the historical perspective of changing the social status, role and position of the woman and to focus on the women’s self-realization in the public sphere and the labour market. Statistical data not only from the Czech Republic, or more precisely, from the EU, but also from other developed and developing regions in the world reflect the unequal position of women in the labour market, access to education, their limited representation in positions and posts connected with decision-making and power (management of organizations, political representation, judiciary, etc.). At the same time, women are at risk from negative and pathological social phenomena (e.g. poverty, domestic violence, etc.) more than men. The paper seeks to interpret the social role of the woman in a contemporary way, taking into account changes in the socio-economic context. The theoretical basis of the paper is represented by selected social stratification theories and the concept of social roles. Social inequality is seen within the partial dimensions of social status (education, property, power). Formulated assertions are supported by outputs of secondary data analysis.