Monitoring Policy Making at the United Nations |
| ||||||||||||
Trends in the Representation of Women in the
Professional and Higher CategoriesJune 30, 1998 to March 31, 2004
Source: Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancment of WomenAccording to the 2004 report of the Secretary General on the Improvement of the Status of Women in the United Nations System, the representation of women in professional and higher categories within the UN staffing system has grown over a six-year period at a “disturbingly slow rate.” Between 1998 and 2004 there has been almost no progress in the rate of representation of women in the category of staff with appointments of one year or more at the Professional and higher levels. With an annual average change at 0.4 percent, the goal of a 50/50 gender distribution in the UN system remains elusive. Gender balance has only been reached at a low professional level, at the P-2, where women constitute 50.8 percent of the staff. A notably high gender discrepancy exists between the senior levels of Under Secretary General (USG) and the bottom professional staff category – P-1. As of March 2004 male staff accounted for 86.1% in the USG level while women dominated the lowest professional level, accounting for 83.3 percent of the category.
Women repersentation in professional and higher categories (%).
(Created by Joanna Olsson, December 2004) *The Secretary General names all persons occupying top positions at the level of Under Secretary General (USG) and Assistant Secretary General (ASG). The tenured International Civil Service ranges from D-2 (the upper-level "Director") and D-1 (the lower-level "Director") through the “Professional” levels of P-5 to P-1. D-2 ranks as the highest level within the International Civil Service, while P-1 is the lowest.
** The tables above do not include UN non-professional (“General”) staff.
More Information on Social and Economic Policy
More General Analysis on Gender and Inequality
More Information on Gender and Inequality
More Tables and Charts on Gender and Inequality
