From Mexico to Copenhagen to Nairobi: The United Nations Decade for Women, 1975-1985

Abstract

This essay describes the increasing radicalization of the United Nations-sponsored Decade for Women from 1975 to 1985, as seen in the final documents from each of its three conferences: the Mexico Declaration and Plan of Action, the Copenhagen Programme of Action, and the Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies. The essay also argues that the Decade for Women demonstrates the significance of the United Nations to the creation of a truly international women's movement, to the acceptance of many varied definitions of "feminism," and to the advancement of all peoples' human rights.