Looking at the Trade and Gender Nexus From a Development Perspective

This publication presents an overview of the trade and gender nexus from a development perspective. It looks at the consequences of international trade for women’s economic empowerment and well-being and the impact of gender inequality on trade. After a short introduction, Section 2 presents what gender and gender equality are, and the various ways in which the economy is a gendered structure, as a basis for understanding how changes in trade and trade policy are likely to have gender-specific repercussions. Sections 3 discusses the trade and gender nexus, and gives an overview of the multiple channels of interaction between trade and gender. Section 4 presents the various trends in mainstreaming gender in trade policy and looks more closely at the ex-ante gender impact assessments of trade agreements, gender provisions in trade agreements, and at trade and gender in the World Trade Organization.