Since the Beijing Conference in 1995, mainstreaming a gender perspective in the entire work of the United Nations has been a priority. This article presents a picture of the contemporary situation concerning the mainstreaming of a gender perspective in multidimensional peacekeeping operations. The main focus concerns female participation in the field which, historically, has been very low. Research indicates that more job opportunities for women exist in operations which contain a large civilian component, but that the military and police components remain mainly male. The article also argues that human rights and humanitarian assistance are two examples of areas of multidimensional peacekeeping operations where it is vital to consider the different needs of men and women.