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Introduction

Between August 31 and September 21, 1998, the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women sponsored an online dialogue on Women and Health, as a follow-up to the Beijing Conference on Women. To frame the dialogue, the topics of access, promotion, education, nursing and health reform were chosen. This paper will examine two of those issue areas, access and promotion, and will look at the specific obstacles that young women face in these areas. Furthermore, by analyzing successful collaborative models created by young women, this paper attempts to draft an introductory framework of best practices for the inclusion of young women in decision-making positions within the field of health. The recommendations, derived from our personal experiences as young women currently living in the United States and as service providers to other young women, demonstrate that it is possible for women and young women to work in partnership toward common goals. Despite the limited scope of this paper, we believe that the issues we address are relevant to young women around the world. Our purpose, therefore, is to initiate meaningful dialogue that will lead to the establishment of a permanent framework for the inclusion of young women in leadership and decision making, specifically within the UN Division for the Advancement of Women, nations and NGOs as they work to implement the Beijing Platform for Action.

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