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

This report examines the gender implications of trade liberalization in Southeast Asia, arguing that trade policies are often 'gender-blind' and fail to account for the specific vulnerabilities and aspirations of women. It calls for ASEAN and its member states to integrate gender considerations into trade policy analysis and capacity building to ensure women can benefit from economic openness without facing increased marginalization.

• Trade liberalization in Southeast Asia has produced mixed results for women; while it has created new employment opportunities that can lead to higher incomes and improved social status, women—particularly poor women—often remain the primary victims of economic openness.
• Trade policy-makers in Southeast Asia frequently operate under the misconception that macro-economics and trade policies are gender-neutral, leading to the exclusion of gender considerations in policy formulation and the further marginalization of women.
• Gender-based disparities in Southeast Asia are evident across five specific economic areas: job segregation in the paid labour market, the split between paid and unpaid labour, the distribution of household resources, access to state redistribution (such as education and social safety nets), and access to financial market credit.
• To improve the well-being of women, the report recommends that ASEAN conduct gender-oriented reviews of trade initiatives, provide women with easy access to social safety nets to offset adjustment costs, and invest in trade-related capacity building and efforts to eradicate social 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} }