The International Scenario of Women’s Political and Economic Participation

The journey toward women’s political and economic participation on the global stage didn’t happen overnight. It was the result of decades of determined advocacy by remarkable women who understood that true equality required international cooperation. From the halls of the United Nations to grassroots movements around the world, these pioneers transformed how the world viewed women’s rights-not as isolated concerns, but as fundamental human rights deserving global recognition and protection.

Eleanor Roosevelt and the universal declaration of human rights 🔗

When Eleanor Roosevelt was appointed as a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly in 1946, few could have predicted the profound impact she would have on human rights worldwide. Serving as the first Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights, she steered the drafting of what would become one of the most important documents in human history: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The task was monumental. Roosevelt chaired more than 3,000 hours of contentious deliberation as delegates debated whether human rights applied equally to all people, regardless of gender, race, religion, or nationality. At a time when Cold War tensions threatened to derail the entire project, she used her credibility with both superpowers to keep the process moving forward. Her determination ensured that when the General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration on December 10, 1948, it received a standing ovation-the first in UN history for a single delegate.

But Roosevelt wasn’t alone in this achievement. Other women played crucial roles in ensuring that gender equality was embedded in the Declaration. Hansa Mehta of India successfully argued to change the phrase from masculine language to the more inclusive wording we know today. Minerva Bernardino of the Dominican Republic was instrumental in advocating for the inclusion of gender equality language in the preamble, building on her earlier work at the San Francisco Conference.

The Inter-American Commission of Women and the UN Charter 🔗

The foundation for women’s rights at the UN was actually laid years before the Universal Declaration. At the 1945 San Francisco Conference that created the United Nations, women delegates worked tirelessly to ensure gender equality was written into the UN Charter itself. This was no small feat-of the roughly 850 delegates present, only four women signed the Charter.

The Inter-American Commission of Women, founded in 1928, played a pivotal role in this effort. As the world’s first intergovernmental organization dedicated to women’s rights, it brought experience and expertise to the table. Led by women like Minerva Bernardino and Brazilian delegate Bertha Lutz, these advocates successfully lobbied for explicit language about gender equality in the Charter’s preamble. The Charter now affirms faith in fundamental human rights and the equal rights of men and women-revolutionary language for 1945.

The women delegates also succeeded in establishing Article 8 of the Charter, which ensures that women can hold office in UN bodies. This seemingly simple provision opened doors that had long been closed, creating pathways for women to participate in international governance.

Foundational organizations and the commission on the status of women 🔗

Long before the UN was established, women had been building international networks to advance their rights. The International Council of Women, founded in 1888 in Washington D.C. by leaders including Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was among the first truly global women’s organizations. For decades, it worked to elevate women’s status internationally, laying groundwork that would prove invaluable in the UN era.

When the UN was created, these experienced organizations were ready. In 1947, the International Council of Women received consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council, allowing it to participate in and influence UN deliberations on women’s rights. This consultative relationship gave women’s organizations a formal voice in international policy-making.

Perhaps most significantly, the UN Commission on the Status of Women was established in 1947 as a functional commission of ECOSOC. All 15 government representatives at its first meeting were women-a remarkable achievement for the time. The Commission quickly became instrumental in shaping global standards on gender equality. From 1947 to 1962, it focused on setting standards and formulating international conventions to change discriminatory legislation and raise awareness about women’s issues worldwide.

The Commission’s early work was crucial to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its members successfully argued against using masculine terms as synonyms for all humanity, insisting on inclusive language. They also ensured that specific articles addressed women’s rights in marriage, equal pay, and freedom from discrimination.

Building international legal frameworks 🔗

The Commission on the Status of Women didn’t stop with the Universal Declaration. It went on to draft several groundbreaking international conventions, including the 1953 Convention on the Political Rights of Women-the first international law specifically protecting women’s political rights. Other conventions followed, addressing women’s rights in marriage, nationality, and equal pay for equal work.

The confluence of three powerful movements 🔗

What made the international women’s movement so powerful in this era was its intersection with two other major global forces: the human rights movement and the movement against colonialism. These weren’t separate struggles-they reinforced and strengthened each other.

Women from newly independent nations brought fresh perspectives to UN discussions. Indian delegate Lakshmi Menon, for instance, argued forcefully against what she termed “colonial relativism”-the idea that human rights didn’t apply to people under colonial rule. She insisted that if women and colonized peoples weren’t explicitly mentioned in the Universal Declaration, they wouldn’t be considered included at all. Her advocacy helped ensure the Declaration’s universal application.

This convergence meant that women’s rights advocates could draw on the moral authority of the anti-colonial movement and the emerging human rights framework. They weren’t just asking for special treatment-they were demanding recognition of fundamental human dignity and equality. The language of human rights gave women a powerful tool to challenge discrimination in their own countries by appealing to international standards.

International Women’s Year and the global conferences 🔗

By the 1970s, the momentum built over previous decades was ready to explode into global action. In 1972, the Commission on the Status of Women proposed that 1975 be designated International Women’s Year-a suggestion the UN General Assembly embraced enthusiastically.

The World Conference of the International Women’s Year, held in Mexico City from June 19 to July 2, 1975, marked a watershed moment. It was the first UN conference focused solely on women’s issues. Of the 133 government delegations present, 113 were headed by women. The conference also featured a parallel NGO forum that attracted around 6,000 participants, creating an unprecedented global dialogue on women’s rights.

The conference produced the World Plan of Action, which set targets for the next decade in areas like education, employment, and political participation. It also led to the establishment of important institutions like the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women and the UN Development Fund for Women. Perhaps most importantly, it launched the UN Decade for Women (1976-1985), ensuring sustained attention to these issues.

Building on Mexico City’s momentum 🔗

The 1975 conference sparked a series of follow-up gatherings. In 1980, 145 member states gathered in Copenhagen for a mid-decade review, focusing on employment, health, and education. The 1985 Nairobi conference reviewed achievements and outlined strategies for continued progress.

The most significant of these conferences came a decade later. The 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing drew over 17,000 participants and produced the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action-widely considered the most comprehensive blueprint for women’s rights ever created. The Platform identified 12 critical areas of concern and set strategic objectives that continue to guide global efforts for gender equality today.

These conferences did more than produce documents. They created spaces where women from vastly different backgrounds could share experiences, build networks, and develop collective strategies. They showed governments that women’s rights commanded serious global attention. And they established mechanisms for monitoring progress and holding countries accountable.

The legacy continues 🔗

The international framework for women’s political and economic participation that emerged from these decades of advocacy remains vitally important. The institutions created-from the Commission on the Status of Women to UN Women (established in 2010)-continue to advance gender equality worldwide. The legal instruments developed provide tools for challenging discrimination. And the networks built connect activists across borders, enabling coordinated action on shared challenges.

Yet the work is far from complete. While women have made remarkable gains in political representation and economic participation, significant barriers persist. The vision that Eleanor Roosevelt, Minerva Bernardino, Hansa Mehta, and countless other pioneers articulated-of a world where gender equality is truly universal-still requires our sustained commitment and action.

What do you think? How have international frameworks and conferences shaped women’s participation in political and economic life in your country? What lessons from these early advocacy efforts remain relevant for advancing gender equality today?

References

1. https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-rights-day/women-who-shaped-the-universal-declaration
2. https://www.un.org/en/un-chronicle/compelled-act-eleanor-roosevelt-fearful-world-and-international-vision-human-rights
3. https://medium.com/@unfoundation/how-one-woman-changed-human-rights-history-84fd8f67d54b
4. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/essays/united-nations-charter-1945-and-womens-rights
5. https://home.nps.gov/articles/000/places-of-pan-american-feminism-and-international-organizations.htm
6. https://un-women.medium.com/gender-equality-and-the-un-general-assembly-facts-and-history-to-know-75fc32b35dd3
7. https://www.icw-cif.com/history/
8. https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/brief-survey-womens-rights
9. https://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/brief-history
10. https://www.unwomen.org/en/how-we-work/commission-on-the-status-of-women
11. https://www.unwomen.org/en/how-we-work/intergovernmental-support/world-conferences-on-women
12. https://www.un.org/en/conferences/women/mexico-city1975