Beyond Barriers: The Gender Implications of Trade Liberalization in Southeast Asia

The report argues that trade liberalization in Southeast Asia often marginalizes women because policy-makers incorrectly view macro-economics and trade instruments as gender-neutral. While liberalization can create new employment and income opportunities, poor women remain particularly vulnerable. The document identifies five areas of gender divergence: job segregation, the paid/unpaid labour divide, household resource distribution, access to state redistribution, and financial market credit. It recommends that ASEAN and member states conduct gender-oriented reviews of trade initiatives, provide access to social safety nets, and invest in capacity building to eradicate discrimination and enable women to benefit from economic openness.

• Trade liberalization in Southeast Asia has produced mixed results for women; while it has created new employment and higher income opportunities, women—especially poor women—often remain the primary victims of economic openness.
• Gender considerations are excluded from trade policy in Southeast Asia because policy-makers operate under the false preconception that macro-economic objectives and instruments are gender-neutral.
• Gender-based disparities in the Southeast Asian region are evident across five specific economic areas: job segregation in the paid labour market, the split between paid and unpaid labour, distribution of household income and resources, access to state-led redistribution (such as education and social safety nets), and access to credit in financial markets.
• To improve women's well-being, ASEAN and its member governments should implement gender-oriented reviews of trade initiatives, ensure access to social safety nets to mitigate adjustment costs, and provide capacity building to address both economic gaps and societal discrimination.

APA

Margawati,, A. C. C. A. L. (2010). Beyond Barriers: The Gender Implications of Trade Liberalization in Southeast Asia. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/beyond-barriers-gender-implications-trade-liberalization-southeast-asia

Chicago

Margawati,, Alexander C. Chandra,Lucky A. Lontoh,Ani. Beyond Barriers: The Gender Implications of Trade Liberalization in Southeast Asia. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2010. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/beyond-barriers-gender-implications-trade-liberalization-southeast-asia.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Margawati, |first1=Alexander C. Chandra,Lucky A. Lontoh,Ani |title=Beyond Barriers: The Gender Implications of Trade Liberalization in Southeast Asia |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=25 February 2010 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/beyond-barriers-gender-implications-trade-liberalization-southeast-asia |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{margawati2010beyond, author = {Margawati,, Alexander C. Chandra,Lucky A. Lontoh,Ani}, title = {{Beyond Barriers: The Gender Implications of Trade Liberalization in Southeast Asia}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2010}, month = feb, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/beyond-barriers-gender-implications-trade-liberalization-southeast-asia}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }