In 1985, Nairobi hosted the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women. 15,000 women from around the world gathered in Kenya, many of them at a parallel non-governmental forum that was even larger. It was one of the largest gatherings of women in history. For Kenya, hosting the conference said something about its aspirations for gender equality that its domestic politics did not always reflect. For the women who came, it was a moment when the world's women saw each other and their shared struggles more clearly.