These surveys generated a new set of evidence on policy and institutional instruments for achieving gender balance in the public sector, integrating gender considerations into the policy and service-delivery processes and implementing a gender equality agenda. Chapter 1 provides the rationale for the study, its objectives and the methodological approach to data collection. Chapter 2 reviews the trends and approaches to enable equal access to decision-making posts in the public domain across OECD countries for both men and women, including parliaments, the political executive, the judiciary and the senior civil service. Chapter 3 accounts for trends in public sector employment of women and highlights policy measures used in OECD countries to enable parity in the public sector.