Beyond Barriers: The Gender Implications of Trade Liberalization in Latin America

This executive summary examines the gendered impacts of trade liberalization in South American countries, focusing on employment in non-traditional agro-exports, urban labor markets, and the informal sector. It highlights a tension between increased female activity rates and human capital and the persistence of precarious working conditions and unemployment.

• Trade liberalization in high-value agricultural exports in South America is associated with two primary trends: the 'feminization of exporting jobs,' where women are hired for labor-intensive roles due to perceived traits like obedience and acceptance of poor working conditions, and a 'glass ceiling' effect where women in unskilled roles are replaced by men during technological upgrades.
• While female activity rates across all age, income, and education groups increased in South American countries over two decades, trade liberalization led to labor market mismatches. This resulted in higher unemployment rates for the female working-age population compared to men, often pushing women into less productive sectors like domestic and personal services.
• Women in Latin America have seen improvements in human capital and a general reduction in the male-female wage gap, though the gap remains higher among more educated subgroups. By the first decade of the 21st century, women generally had better access to education, health, legal rights, and political participation than previously.

APA

Ventura-Dias,, V. (2010). Beyond Barriers: The Gender Implications of Trade Liberalization in Latin America. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/beyond-barriers-gender-implications-trade-liberalization-latin-america

Chicago

Ventura-Dias,, Vivianne. Beyond Barriers: The Gender Implications of Trade Liberalization in Latin America. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2010. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/beyond-barriers-gender-implications-trade-liberalization-latin-america.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ventura-Dias, |first1=Vivianne |title=Beyond Barriers: The Gender Implications of Trade Liberalization in Latin America |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=25 February 2010 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/beyond-barriers-gender-implications-trade-liberalization-latin-america |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{venturadias2010beyond, author = {Ventura-Dias,, Vivianne}, title = {{Beyond Barriers: The Gender Implications of Trade Liberalization in Latin America}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2010}, month = feb, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/beyond-barriers-gender-implications-trade-liberalization-latin-america}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }