When a state ratifies the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) they can enter into reservations to limit their legal commitment to particular articles of the convention. This project answers the question: what factors influence whether a state enters into CEDAW reservations? In particular, I am interested in if international womens civil society organizations have any effect on whether a state makes reservations, the number of reservations made, and the strength of reservations made to CEDAW. I find that womens civil society organizations have a significant impact on the strength of reservations made to CEDAW. Therefore, womens civil society organizations can be deemed to be effective at not allowing states to reserve their obligations away. This analysis offers a more nuanced approach to the analyzing the reservation process by looking at womens civil society organizations impact on the strength of reservations made to CEDAW.