Human rights and smart economics: Mainstreaming gender in international trade policy
Date
2009Author
O'Rourke, Maeve
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O'Rourke, Maeve. (2009). Human rights and smart economics: Mainstreaming gender in international trade policy. University College Dublin Law Review, 9.
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Abstract
At the time, the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in
Beijing was applauded as a massive turning point for the status of
women's human rights worldwide. Gender mainstreaming, established in
the Beijing Platform for Action2 as a major global strategy for the
promotion of equality between men and women, was hailed as exactly
what women needed for participation in areas where they had never
previously been considered. Gender equality and women's empowerment
would no longer be regarded as separate policy areas, independent of
sectoral policies. Governments had eventually acknowledged, through the
Platform for Action, that gender equality could not be achieved without
changes in a wide variety of areas, including labour market, fiscal and
financial policies. In every critical area of concern, governments and
other actors were called on to 'promote an active and visible policy of
mainstreaming a gender perspective into all policies and programmes, so
that, before decisions are taken, an analysis is made of the effects for
women and men, respectively.' 3