An Analysis of Gender Based Treaty Law: Contemporary Developments in Historical Perspective

The treatment of women has been the subject of over twenty different international legal instruments since 1945.1 Each of these documents reflects international agreement on particular problems related to the status of women and, as such, provides a unique insight into the state of the international consensus on the role of women in society. In 1979 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women 2 (C.E.D.A.W.), the first treaty to address a full range of issues related to the role and position of women in society. The treaty came into force 3 September 1981 and has been ratified by fifty-four states.3 Because this latest instrument reflects the major current concerns related to the role of women in society, it is important to compare the measures outlined in this treaty with those of the earlier ones, to see in what manner legal obligations have been altered or maintained.