The author considers the issue of protection of universal women's rights. The first thing that draws attention is the concept of human rights and their importance in the world, the essence of universal human rights. The article is devoted to defining the place and role of women's rights in the catalog of human rights. In particular, on the basis of the international legal analysis the acts which have laid the foundation of legal protection of women are allocated; based on international legal acts, periodic systematization of the most important milestones in the formation of women's rights is carried out - formations in the development of gender rights are determined; the analysis of the legal status of women in society is carried out from the standpoint of both legal protection and the real state of affairs, so the problematic issues which face further improvement of the protection of women's rights are highlighted.
 International case law on the protection of women's rights is considered. Relevant decisions of the European Court of Human Rights are given. The system of international universal human rights standards is studied, their characteristics are given. The system of legal registration of women's rights institutions in the context of international standards is described, the problematic issues of their implementation, provision and protection through basic mechanisms of human rights protection at different levels are studied, the practice of human rights mechanisms is analyzed.
 It is concluded that the main problems in the realization of women's rights, which are pervasive, are the use of domestic violence and discrimination in employment. It is these issues, both at the level of the international community and in national legal systems, including Ukraine, that should be the focus of attention.
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