Coming Up in CQ Global Researcher: "Women's Rights"

By Karen Foerstel

The historic World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 helped women around the world make major gains in political, economic and social power. A record number of governments have enacted legislation protecting women against violence, dozens of countries have established commissions on women to promote gender equality and more women then ever now serve in parliaments around the world. Despite these gains, women still hold only 16 percent of parliamentary positions, trafficking of women and girls is at an all-time high and countries that have passed women's-rights legislation admit they have had little success in enforcing those laws. Many advocates for women also fear that the globalization of economic and trade laws will further hurt women in Third World countries, pushing them deeper into poverty.