The study, conducted over four decades and in 70 countries, found that strong, autonomous, feminist movements were the first to articulate the issue of violence against women and the key catalysts for government action, with other organisations sidelining issues perceived as being only important to women.
Strong movements commanded public support and attention, and convinced the media the issues were important for public discussion.
The study includes every region of the world, varying degrees of democracy, rich and poor countries, and a variety of world religions – it encompasses 85 per cent of the world's population.
Mala Htun, co-author of the study, said: "Social movements shape public and government agendas and create the political will to address issues. Government action, in turn, sends a signal about national priorities and the meaning of citizenship. The roots of change of progressive social policies lie in civil society."
The American Political Science Review is published by Cambridge University Press for the American Political Science Association (APSA). The full research paper is available free of charge on this link until 13 October.
For more information on the journal go to: journals.cambridge.org/psr
Reproduced courtesy of Cambridge University Press. For more news stories visit www.cambridge.org; for more information on them contact Vicky Westmore at press@cambridge.org