Women and empowerment : participation and decision making / prepared by Marilee Karl.

Bibliography: p163-166. - Includes index.

1. Obstacles and Opportunities. Forms of participation. How far have women come? Factors affecting women's political participation. Women's diversity. Political participation and the empowerment process -- 2. Women's Participation is Not New. New women's organizations emerge. International women's organizations. The women's peace movement -- 3. Women Mobilizing and Organizing. What is feminism? Feminism in practice. The power of information. Women in trade unions and workers' movements. Religious groups. Working with men in international NGOs -- 4. Participation in Politics and Public Life. One hundred years of struggle for the vote. Women in parliaments. Women at ministerial level. Women heads of state or government. Making a difference. Obstacles. Women in political parties. National and international civil service. Mechanisms for increasing women's participation. Women in movements for liberation and democracy. Moving towards democracy -- 5. Women and Development.

Women-in-development approaches. New visions of development. Mainstreaming women. Gender and development. Mainstreaming and gender planning strategies. Empowerment approaches. At the grassroots -- 6. International Mobilization of Women in and Around the United Nations. The League of Nations. Women on the United Nations agenda. International Women's Year. The First World Conference on Women and the Decade for Women. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The Mid-Decade Conference on Women. International women's organizations and the Decade. The end of the Decade and new beginnings. New opportunities and challenges in the 1990s. Towards the year 2000 -- 7. Conclusion: The Challenges Ahead -- Ann. I: A Guide to Education and Action -- Ann. II: The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women -- Ann. III: List of Organizations.