Scientific excellence has become a goal of science policy in modern welfare states, including in Poland. It functions as a proxy for the distribution of power and funds in academia. Questions arise of how the concept of excellence aligns with gender-specific issues, and what the unintended consequences of its nonreflective implementation are. Is the thesis on gender neutrality of scientific excellence true? What are the differences in the situations of women and men in science? What problems do women encounter in achieving their research goals? This chapter presents the situation of women in science in Poland, using the notion of gendered excellence. Women’s role in science in Poland is presented through analysis of statistics and legal regulations. The performance of female researchers is evaluated against the criteria of excellence: publishing, internationalization of research, competition for grants, and business–science cooperation. This chapter also discusses the distribution of power in the science system and strategies of female researchers in adjusting to the structural and cultural requirements of academia. By looking at these issues in the context of the Polish case, this chapter challenges the assumption that the system of science is based on gender-neutral standards of merit.