In one US city, life under a UN treaty on women

"We don't go in and say, 'You're doing it all wrong,' " says Krishanti Dharmaraj, a member of the task force and a national human rights advocate. "What CEDAW does exquisitely is that it unveils gaps that we thought were normal - where the norm is men."

It can be as subtle as the spacing of street lamps. The Department of Public Works has added more in some areas to make neighborhoods safer to women.

Or it can be as obvious as the Yard. CEDAW pointed out that 98 percent of the skilled craftsmen in the department are men. For engineers, the figure is 85 percent. In response, Public Works has been open to more flexible schedules for female employees with children, and has increased job-training courses, says personnel manager Horan. In addition, it has started a women engineers' caucus.

The CEDAW task force has also collected data on the advantages of allowing employees in the Adult Probation Department - including busy moms - to telecommute. It has encouraged the Rent Board to keep statistics on whom it serves. And in juvenile justice, it brought attention and support to a plan to hire caseworkers to deal exclusively with girls.

"It has been an inspiration and a watchful eye to keep us moving forward," says Jesse Williams, the city's chief juvenile probation officer. "It's always good to know someone is interested."

San Francisco has been interested since the 1995 UN Conference on Women. Determined to use that momentum, San Francisco's network of human rights advocates turned to CEDAW. For the city that was a leader of the women's rights movement of the 1970s, and is the hometown of two of the most powerful women in American politics, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) and House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, there was little need for debate. The measure passed unanimously. "People here have a better grasp that what is going on locally and what is going on globally are interconnected," says Patti Chang, president of the Women's Foundation here.

Now, with the task force reaching the end of its five-year mandate, it is preparing plans for the future. One suggestion, says executive director Emily Murase, could be a "gendered budget," a concept that exists only in South Africa. It would ensure any resources would benefit men and women equally.

Some are anxious for such dramatic reform, however unlikely. So far, the task force deliberately targeted only six city departments, and even there, progress has been in baby steps and often encountered resistance. For instance, a group of men at the Yard recently complained of reverse discrimination, incorrectly suggesting that the women's support group was using company time.

"It's much slower than I ever thought," says Ms. Dharmaraj. "But the aim of CEDAW is cultural and systemic change, and [focusing on the government] is the best way to do that."

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