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Gender mainstreaming is the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in all areas and at all levels.

The concept of gender mainstreaming occurred on 1985 Third World Conference on Women in Nairobi. The idea has been developed in the United Nations development community^[1]. The idea was formally featured in 1995 on the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. Most definitions conform to the UN Economic and Social Council formally defined concept:

Mainstreaming a gender perspective is the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in all areas and at all levels. It is a strategy for making women's as well as men's concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality.^[2]

In late 2006, the city council of Wien, capital of Austria ordered several gender mainstreaming measures for public facilities and areas. Pictograms and information display charts will feature e.g. a male silhouette holding a baby in his arms to advise passengers on the underground railway to offer seating to parents with kids. Emergency escape paths will be marked by a square table featuring a long-haired lady running in her high heel boots. Kindergartens will eliminate separate "playing corners" with toy cars and LEGO for boys or dolls and faux fireplaces for girls. Chants and recitals emphasizing the patriarchal family model and traditional male-centric gender roles will be banned from kindergartens and elementary schools.

Infrastructure changes will include "unisex" playgrounds for city parks, which encourage little boys and girls to mix and redesigned streetlights to make parks and sidewalks safer for late night lady joggers. All city budget entries will be under review by a comitte led by Sonja Wehsely, city ombudsman for female rights. She has the duty to make sure the city's resources are used evenly for the benefit of both sexes. (based on news report by index.hu)

Under the influence of UN community, the usage of the term increased in Taiwan since 2000. Local feminist organization have different views on gender mainstreaming. Some groups considered that the Commission on Women Rights Promotion under Executive Yuan should be expanded, while other groups considered that gender mainstreaming is not promotion of women rights but an assessment of all policies and requires a specific organization.^[3] 2005 July, Advisory Panel On Gender Mainstreaming was established under Office Of President. But lawmakers from Kuomintang and People's First Party demanded to disband the panel in 2006.

1. ^ "II. The Origins of Gender Mainstreaming in the EU", Academy of European Law online
2. ^ United Nations. Report of the Economic and Social Council for 1997. A/52/3.18 September 1997, at 28
3. ^ Lin, Fang-Mei. "性別主流化在台灣：從國際發展到在地化實踐". 第一屆性別研究與公共政策學術研討會, Taipei:Shih Hsin University. April 13, 2005.

• History of feminism