In 1990, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) issued a Resolution E/1990/68 on equality in political participation and decision making. The resolution recommended increasing the proportion of women in positions of leadership by setting incremental targets: 30% by 1995 and 50% by 2000. The 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing, reported little progress in achieving the ECOSOC target of 30% of women in decision making positions. Accordingly, the Beijing Platform for Action called on governments (as part of strategic objective Gl) to “commit themselves to establishing the goal of gender balance in governmental bodies and committees, as w'ell as in public administrative entities, and in the judiciary, including, inter alia, setting specific targets and implementing measures to substantially increase the number of women with a view to achieving equal representation of women and men, if necessaiy through positive action, in all governmental and public administration positions”. Where does the 30% “critical mass” for women’s political representation come from?