Women and the feminization of international organizations

Women’s participation in international organizations is an important element of the goal to achieve gender equality globally. Women have relied on internal and external activism from the League of Nations to the United Nations (UN) to be included and recognized at all levels of employment. Women’s presence in the UN system increased slowly once the UN Charter enabled women’s participation. There has been considerable growth in the last 20 years as the various institutions have made greater concerted efforts to move towards parity. However, progress has been uneven. This chapter provides a historical overview of the activism and policies that have ensured increasing feminization and participation. It analyses feminization data in a variety of fields and organizations and provides an overview of the literature addressing the feminization of international organizations, most particularly within the UN system.