"Mainstreaming a gender perspective is the process of assessing the implications for women and men (boys and girls) of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in any area and at all levels.
It is a strategy for making the concerns and experiences of women (girls) as well as of men (boys) an integral part of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres, so that women and men (girls and boys) benefit equally, and inequality is not perpetuated.
The ultimate goal of mainstreaming is to achieve gender equality."
(ECOSOC, 1997)