The first profile on the status of women in Malawi was produced in 1997 by the University of Malawi (UNIMA) and SARDC WIDSAA, as part of the first series of Beyond Inequalities, which documented the status of women in southern Africa and the initiatives being made to mainstream gender and development processes in the region. That profile took stock of the developments in Malawi regarding the status of women prior to 1997. This current profile updates the first book on Beyond Inequalities: Women in Malawi. It profiles the status of women in Malawi from 1997 to 2004 and records the extent to which practical and adequate steps are being taken in all development sectors. The profile examines how Malawi is fulfilling its commitments under the Beijing + 5 framework, the SADC Declaration on Gender and Development signed by SADC Heads of State and Government in 1997, and its Addendum on the Prevention and Eradication of Violence Against Women and Children signed in 1998, as well as the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted in 2000.