What is this guide about?

This Guide is based on the BRIDGE Cutting Edge Pack on Gender and Trade. It is aimed at trade, development, and gender in development (GAD) professionals who wish to know more about the relationship between trade and gender - that is, the different ways in which trade policies affect men and women. The guide focuses on the gendered impacts of trade liberalisation, asking questions such as: How are men and women differently affected by trade liberalisation? How does trade advance or impede gender equality? What effects does gender equality have on trade? However, the guide goes beyond merely discussing the issues. It highlights successful examples and best practices that demonstrate how gender-aware policies and institutions can effectively support the achievement of gender equality goals (MDG goal 3), as well as accelerating economic growth and sustainable development. The guide assumes a certain prior knowledge of trade issues, with links to relevant pages and documents within the Eldis Trade Resource Guide, for those who wish to improve their background knowledge of trade policy.

The key issues:

What is gender?
'Gender' refers to the socially constructed roles of and relations between men and women, while 'Sex' refers to biological differences. 'Gender relations' are characterised by unequal power. 'Gender norms' assign specific entitlements and responsibiltiies to men and women - for example, women might be expected to take on caring or domestic duties and remain close to home, while men may be expected to be the main breadwinnner, working outside the home, with greater freedom to move around in public places. This is known as the gendered division of labour. In all countries of the world, women continue to exist in roles and relationships that often make them subordinate to men, because they are paid less than men for the same work, because their movements are restricted, or because they are not permitted to take on higher status work. Acceptable 'gender roles', like those outlined above, are often translated into economic policies and activities. Despite the fact that many governments have ratified international gender instruments such as CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women), gender inequality persists. This has implications for women's capacity to benefit from global trade policy.

Why is it essential to include gender in trade policy and thinking?

Increased employment for women comes at a price
One argument for free market policies is that increased trade and investment liberalisation can improve economic growth, which in turn can increase women's participation in the labour market. There have been increased employment opportunities for women in the clothing and textiles and electronics sectors, as well as in the service sectors. However, many of these industries depend on pre-existing inequalities between women and men. For example, it is often seen as acceptable for women to earn a lower wage than men, because they are not considered the main earners.
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Trade liberalisation is not 'gender-neutral'
Trade liberalisation has different outcomes for men and women. These differential impacts relate to many of the most fundamental aspects of livelihoods and well-being, including employment, income, food security and access to health services. The impacts vary across countries and regions. They also cut across different sectors and sub-sectors of trade liberalisation, including agriculture, services, textiles, and intellectual property.
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Addressing gender and trade issues: some practical steps

Approaches to gender and trade
There have been several approaches to thinking about and addressing the issue of gender and trade. The Women in Development (WID) approach, developed in the 1970s and '80s, aims to enhance women's access to opportunities from free trade, but is not critical of trading systems themselves. In the mid-'80s, the GAD (Gender and Development) approach was developed, which highlights the unequal power relations between women and men in terms of access to the resources needed to participate in trading systems, as well as the distribution of their potential benefits. Related to the GAD approach is Gender Mainstreaming - a process by which an understanding of gender roles and relations of equal power is incorporated into the design and implementation of all policies and programmes. Human Rights norms and standards provide a legal framework through which gender discrimination in trade can be addressed. A Political Economy approach emphasises the need to link trade, policy, fiscal, industrial and social policies with analysis of global inequities, including gender inequality.
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Movement forward on gender and trade issues
While there is an urgent need for policy-makers, employers, international and national institutions and governments to take concrete action in incorporating gender into policy and practice, significant steps forward are already being taken, largely due to the efforts of trade-sensitive women's organisations and campaginers. More...

Researching and measuring the gendered impacts of trade policy: tools and frameworks
There is a crucial need for more independent and good quality research and analysis, particularly into the actual and potential impacts of trade policy on women and gender equality. There are various practical mechanisms through which the gendered impacts of trade policy can be assessed and discussed. These include:

	WTO Trade Policy Review Mechanism
	Sustainability Impact Assessments
	Value Chain Analysis
	Women's Edge Coalition gender trade impact review
	Women in Development Europe gender indicators
	UN Gender Trade Impact Assessments
	APEC framework
	CIDA framework
	The BRIDGE Framework

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