Gender mainstreaming was first introduced as a global strategy to promote gender equality in the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action. It was defined as ‘the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in all areas and at all levels’ (United Nations Economic and Social Council 1997, 3). Gender mainstreaming is thus a means to achieve gender equality, rather than an end in itself.

Published online: 24 July 2025