ABSTRACT
The United Nations declares its faith in gender equality in the preamble of its Charter that ‘[w]e the peoples of the United Nations determined [. . .] to reaffirm faith [. . .] in the equal rights of men and women.’ Viewing public attitudes as a key factor in the progress toward or even the achievement of gender equality, the UN Sub-Commission and Commission on the Status of Women have encouraged member States to collaborate with and offer support to the UN in order to stimulate global public opinions on the matter since the late 1940s.1 Between the 1950s and 1960s, the role of UN bodies and NGOs in moulding public opinion in favour of gender equality has consistently been stressed. This was initially seen in 1950 when the Economic and Social Council urged the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Director-General of UNESCO to promote throughout the world perceptions that favoured equal education opportunities for both sexes.2 The role of NGOs in creating informed public opinion with regard to women’s equality was continuously acknowledged by the Commission on the Status of Women and the Economic and Social Council throughout the same period.3 In 1960 the Economic and Social Council and the Commission on the Status of Women began to underline the significance of national advisory committees in providing education for public opinion based around questions relating to human rights.4 The Economic and Social Council in 1961 stressed the importance of action taken to change social attitudes with regard to discrimination against women, specifically in the fields of employment and occupation.5
