Gender Advisory Board Publication Series — Volume I
Volume I of the Gender Advisory Board's foundational series provides the conceptual and empirical framework for understanding gender disparities in science and technology participation worldwide. It established the research vocabulary, statistical baselines, and measurement approaches that would shape gender-in-S&T policy for more than a decade.
The document emerged from the Gender Advisory Board's mandate to advise UNCSTD on incorporating gender analysis into international science and technology policy. It synthesized existing research from development economics, science studies, and gender theory to produce a unified framework applicable to national policy contexts across the developing world.
Key contributions of Volume I include an analysis of the structural and cultural factors limiting women's entry into science and technology careers, a review of measurement approaches for tracking gender parity across the S&T pipeline, and a typology of policy interventions that had demonstrated measurable impact at the national level. The volume draws on case material from Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
This publication, along with Volume II (regional assessments) and Volume III (policy recommendations), forms the core of the GAB's contribution to the international gender and S&T field. The series is cited extensively in the GASAT proceedings and in national science strategy documents produced during the 1990s and early 2000s.
The Gender Advisory Board was convened to provide expert guidance on gender mainstreaming within international science and technology cooperation. Its work fed directly into UNCSTD deliberations and influenced the design of capacity-building programs supported by UNDP and regional development banks. The full GAB archive was housed at gab.wigsat.org; that content is preserved at the Internet Archive.