In recent years, an explosion of new engineering technologies has launched a global Internet; at the same time, research in molecular biology is unlocking the human genome. However, goals for safety, education, health, democracy, and economic productivity continue to elude the nation. Why? A major reason is because the roots of our problems lie in human behavior, and there is insufficient knowledge about the factors that influence human behavior in its various contexts.The Decade of Behavior was envisioned with the conviction that behavioral science should play a central role in developing solutions for problems of national significance. It is modeled in part on the national program known as the Decade of the Brain (Ackerman, 1992). Sponsoring organizations are the American Psychological Association and an extensive list of other organizations. 1 In keeping with the finest traditions of science in the public interest, the goals of the Decade of Behavior are to foster a safer, better educated, healthier, more democratic, and more prosperous nation (McCarty, 1998). It is based on the recognition that solutions to these and other national problems require knowledge derived from behavioral and social science research. It is hoped that the Decade of Behavior will generate a focus on behavioral and social science approaches to persistent problems that have limited the realization of these goals. A Decade of Behavior, much like the Decade of the Brain, should promote increased research, training, and applications derived from behavioral and social science. A further goal is "to increase the general public's knowledge about and appreciation of the behavioral and social sciences" (Science Directorate, 1999, p. 9). Solutions to problems of safety, education, health, democracy and economic prosperity will require new research questions, new methodologies, new theory, and new applications. The work cannot be left to the perseverance of a few isolated scholars. Making systematic advances will require a comprehensive effort.The premise of this special issue of the Psychology of Women Quarterly is that feminist psychology is critical to accomplishing the goals of the Decade of Behavior. In fact, we propose that the goals of the Decade of Behavior cannot be achieved without feminist psychology, a field dedicated to generating and applying feminist knowledge in the service of the public interest. As will become clear This Psychology of Women Quarterly special issue argues that the goals of the Decade of Behavior to foster a healthier, safer, better educated, more prosperous, and more democratic nation cannot be achieved without contributions from feminist psychology. Its individual articles reflect feminist perspectives and provide examples of how feminist perspectives can inform behavioral and social research within Decade domains. In this overview, we outline the challenges that gender poses to achieving Decade goals, and discuss four cross-cutting feminist principles for research to address those challenges: Inclusiveness and ...