ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the process leading up to the Decade for Women, including the adoption of conventions, recommendations, and norms, and some of the subsequent developments, including new areas of research and forms of advocacy. The United Nations Decade for Women prompted the growth of the field of women-in-development, and the worldwide women's movement spurred academic research on women's issues. The Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) has the power to subject governments, one by one, to public scrutiny, and it can request additional or specific reporting whenever this appears necessary. The 1985 Nairobi conference encouraged contacts and better understanding among feminists worldwide, resulting in a proliferation of feminist networks throughout the world. A number of publications produced by various UN bodies have sought to describe and analyze women's positions at the end of the twentieth century, either through qualitative and comparative studies or through quantitative assessments.
