WUNRN
TRADE AGREEMENTS MAY NOT HELP POOR
WOMEN - STUDY
New research calls for holistic approach at negotiating table
It is commonly argued that cheaper imports reduce poverty in a country because they enable the poor to spend, which in turn boosts the economy.
But new research has cast doubt on this argument, with findings indicating that the majority of women, especially the poor, are unlikely to be able to take advantage of imports resulting from the new Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs).
Carolina Gottardo, Head of Policy and Advocacy at One World Action, which conducted the study with the Commonwealth Secretariat, explains that at first glance cheaper imports – including washing machines and gas cookers - “seem like a fantastic idea, especially for women who bear the brunt of most household duties in the developing world.”
Yet the reality, she says, is that these kind of goods which are affected by the new trade policies, do not benefit poor women.
“Items such as washing machines are of no use in some developing economies, because houses have limited access to electricity,” she points out, adding that they can only be afforded by households with higher incomes and easy access to energy sources.
“These and other examples prompt the need for a holistic approach at negotiations, which should not be gender blind,” she argues.
“The negotiators must conduct thorough assessments of the situation of women and men in individual countries, and consider the fact that systemic discrimination of women limits their access to existing infrastructure and assets.”
The study – which is the first of its kind – concludes that a combination of measures and policies are needed to ensure benefits of trade liberalisation are felt by the masses, and do not remain in the hands of the privileged few, excluding poor women.
Among the recommendations put forward by the authors are:
- A call for gender focused analyses to be included in all trade integration studies and impact assessments.
- The need to strengthen commitments to resources spent on trade related sectors, and also improve effectiveness and the gender focus of Aid For Trade.
- Broad-based participation in trade consultations, negotiations and monitoring.
As well as negative impacts of these trade agreements, the study also shows some positive effects, notably that women’s employment in the countries studied was unlikely to be badly affected – as women workers are not concentrated in the sectors to be liberalised.
Dr Marzia Fontana, one of the authors of the report and a development economist at the Institute of Development Studies in the UK, stressed that gender analysis of this kind is important in trade because “the effects of EPAs – under which African, Caribbean and Pacific countries are expected to offer duty-free access to ‘substantially all’ EU imports – will be felt differently by women and men in their roles as producers, consumers and users of services.”
The research, which explored the effects of EPAs on women’s rights and gender equality, took place between 2008 and 2009 in Jamaica, Mozambique and Tanzania and was supported by the UK's Department for International Development (DFID)
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