The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women was enacted by law in
May 1998. The legislation was inspired by the United Nations’ Fourth World
Conference on Women held in Beijing in September 1995. One result of this
conference was the Beijing Platform for Action, which recommended that the state
and the federal government support councils, commissions, networks, and
other organizations that focus on women’s issues.
Specifically, the Platform directed state governments to "form and adequately
fund Women’s Commissions in all states and territories where they do not
already exist" (Building on Beijing: United States NGOs Shape a Women’s
National Action Agenda, published by The Stanley Foundation July 1997.)
For more information about the Beijing Platform, please visit the United
Nation’s Web site or the U.N. WomenWatch's Web site.
When the Commission was created by law, it was included as a line item in the
state budget. Click here to view the Legislative Bill that created the Commission.
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