1. Introduction, Setting out the Terms
2. The Role of Parliamentarians
3. Representation without the Incumbency Barrier: The Example of Scotland
4. Waving Goodbye to Dinosaurs: The Northern Ireland Women's Coalition
5. Making Parliamentarians Listen to Women Voters and Getting Women Elected
6. The Beijing Process
7. Gender Mainstreaming
8. Affirmative Action - Help or Hindrance?
9. Education and Sex Equality
10. Equalising Access to Care and Services
11. The Nordic Model: The Example of Finland
12. Equality Policy: The Example of Malaysia
13. The Implementation of Equal Rights Legislation
14. Does Size Matter? Sex equality in Small States
15. How Can NGOs Lobby for Change? A Users Guide
16. Improving Access to Credit, Technology and Business
17. Can the Media be Resexed?
18. Conclusions
Appendix 1: What works and what does not for women in politics? A Commonwealth perspective.
Appendix 2: Institutional framework for mainstreaming gender in Public Service personnel management.
Appendix 3: Affirmative Action in the Commonwealth Secretariat
Appendix 4: List of Delegates
Appendix 5: Conference Programme

More and more women from Commonwealth countries are now securing jobs in the senior public sector. With women increasingly able to access key roles in the shaping of government and legislature, often at an elected level, this book provides a timely study of the progress that has been made by Commonwealth countries, and the practical measures these countries are taking to promote women's rights.
The authors explore what the Commonwealth has done in the new millennium, at governmental levels, to make parliaments more accessible to women. It includes a comprehensive description of women's rights in the Commonwealth's diverse cultural and social groupings. The authors demonstrate why gender equality is an important issue for both sexes and how the Commonwealth can lead the world in finding effective solutions to global issues.