Gender Mainstreaming in Australia: Are We Doing Enough for Women and Girls

Gender mainstreaming ensures that the policymaking process and the resulting legislation integrate gender into key policy areas to foster equal representation of men and women throughout society. Gender mainstreaming requires policy impact assessments, with guidelines flowing from United Nations conventions such as 1979’s Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and 2000’s Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325, which sets out the UN’s goals on “Women, Peace, and Security.”
The UN Women, Peace, and Security agenda urges international actors to consider the gendered differences inherent in conflict when developing peacebuilding resolutions. This includes introducing special measures to address the differential effects of armed conflict in women’s lives, such as gender-based violence and sexual exploitation. Above all, UNSCR 1325 recognises the need to integrate women’s voices into the peacebuilding process, empowering their voices. This Security Council resolution gave rise to action plans on women, peace, and security worldwide, including in Australia.