This article states the outcome of field work conducted in 2007 regarding the emigration of Poles in the second half of the twentieth century to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The basic aim of the study was to explore a phenomenon that has not yet been analyzed in the literature. It looks at the emigration from the linear perspective, tracing respondents' life trajectory, capturing its various dimensions and related categories. Emigration to Macedonia was characterised by several key features. Firstly, it was very highly feminized (90 per cent women). Secondly, the departures were mainly of a matrimonial nature. Thirdly, Macedonian society in the described period was highly patriarchal. The paper presents qualitative data analysis collected during in-depth interviews, conducted from the perspective of cultural gender identity. It was possible to distinguish three approaches used by Polish women in response to a completely alien social world, i.e.: fight, submission and flight.
