The aim of this study is to explore the situation of women in the printing industry. It examines the effects
of their increasing participation in the industry. It also looks at the extent to which the principles of
equal opportunities and equal treatment apply to them. Publications on the subject were identified
through a systematic literature search based on Web of Science. The results of the literature review are
organized around four themes. Numerous publications have appeared around the extraordinary and
successful women who ran printing workshops before the industrial revolution after losing their
entrepreneurial husbands or fathers. After the industrial revolution, i.e., the spectacular mechanization
of industry, women mainly performed simpler, skilled work as folders and seamstresses, i.e., they were
involved in the less prestigious and lower-paid tasks of book production. In addition, the works of art
created by women and the innovations in their approach often did not receive the spotlight they deserved
at the time. Throughout history, women in several countries have tried to break male dominance by
joining forces in various ways. In England, for example, in response to the "threatening" behaviour of
trade unions, women formed their own printing organization, the Women's Printing Society. Today,
women's movements still exist in the printing industry, mainly in Anglo-Saxon countries. A targeted
questionnaire survey of 32% of all employees in the Hungarian printing industry was conducted to
assess the proportion of women employed in the printing industry by education and position. The aim
and result of the study are twofold: to draw attention to the importance of the issue and to provide
international examples to shape attitudes.
