Beyond Barriers: The Gender Implications of Trade Liberalization in Southern Africa

The report examines how trade liberalization in Southern Africa has produced mixed results for women, often exacerbating inequalities due to a focus on market-based criteria that ignore societal imbalances. It highlights that women dominate the informal economy in sub-Saharan Africa, where they face significant national, institutional, and legal hurdles. The document argues that regional trading arrangements (RTAs) are better suited to women's needs than large export markets and recommends that RTAs formally address informal cross-border trade through supportive institutional measures and a standardized yardstick for gender sensitivity.

• Trade liberalization and economic globalization have had inconsistent effects on women; while some have seen improvements in empowerment and livelihood, others have experienced marginal benefits compared to men, or an exacerbation of gender inequalities.
• International trade agreements are criticized for prioritizing net economic benefit and market-based criteria over societal imbalances, and for failing to address women's rights, as seen in the silence of Article XX of the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT) on the issue.
• Women are the primary participants in Africa's informal economy, with approximately 70 per cent of informal traders in sub-Saharan Africa being women. Consequently, trade facilitation focused solely on the formal economy would affect far fewer women than measures accounting for the informal sector.
• National, institutional, and legal barriers are more significant obstacles to women's earning capacity in trade than the social perpetuation of gender gaps.
• Regional trading arrangements (RTAs) are identified as more accessible for women than large export markets. The document recommends that RTAs address the reality of informal cross-border trade through supportive institutional measures and the creation of a gender-sensitivity yardstick to guide negotiators.

APA

Roy,, S. K. (2010). Beyond Barriers: The Gender Implications of Trade Liberalization in Southern Africa. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/beyond-barriers-gender-implications-trade-liberalization-southern-africa

Chicago

Roy,, Sheila Kiratu,Suryapratim. Beyond Barriers: The Gender Implications of Trade Liberalization in Southern Africa. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2010. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/beyond-barriers-gender-implications-trade-liberalization-southern-africa.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Roy, |first1=Sheila Kiratu,Suryapratim |title=Beyond Barriers: The Gender Implications of Trade Liberalization in Southern Africa |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=25 February 2010 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/beyond-barriers-gender-implications-trade-liberalization-southern-africa |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{roy2010beyond, author = {Roy,, Sheila Kiratu,Suryapratim}, title = {{Beyond Barriers: The Gender Implications of Trade Liberalization in Southern Africa}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2010}, month = feb, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/beyond-barriers-gender-implications-trade-liberalization-southern-africa}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }