ZNACZENIE MIGRACJI W ŻYCIU ZAWODOWYM KOBIET I MĘŻCZYZN

The author examines the difference of the role of migration in men’s and women’s careers. The theoretical entry point is Merton’s concept of opportunity structure and its significance for clarifying the means by which individual social actors - male and female migrants - achieve their goals. On the basis of qualitative research conducted among migrants (a series of in-depth interviews of a career-biographical nature) the career paths of migrants within the country and abroad are presented: both in objective terms and in terms of the migrants’ subjective perceptions, including the significance they themselves ascribe to the role of migration. In addition, the author tests the hypothesis thatmen andwomen react differently to the opportunity structure connected to migration and take advantage of it differently.