Mainstreaming Gender in Trade Policy

The report analyzes the evolution of gender-related provisions in trade agreements, categorizing them into five types: reaffirmation of commitments, avoidance of adverse effects, preservation of the state's right to regulate, promotion of women's economic empowerment, and cooperation mechanisms. It highlights a shift toward dedicated 'trade and gender' chapters in recent agreements, such as those involving Canada and Chile, though it notes these often lack enforceable targets or budgets. The author argues that current provisions are frequently 'gender-blind' or overly focused on women as formal workers, neglecting their roles as consumers, carers, and rights holders. To improve policy, the report advocates for ex ante gender impact assessments—citing Canada's GBA+ and the UNCTAD Trade and Gender Toolbox—and ex post monitoring to generate sex-disaggregated data. It concludes that for trade to be inclusive, gender mainstreaming must move beyond symbolic cooperation toward a holistic approach grounded in human rights frameworks like CEDAW.

• Gender-related provisions in trade agreements have evolved into five main categories: reaffirming existing commitments to instruments like the SDGs or CEDAW; stating the agreement will not adversely affect women; acknowledging the state's right to regulate to protect women's rights; promoting women's economic empowerment; and establishing cooperation mechanisms.
• New-generation trade agreements, such as those between Canada and Chile, Argentina and Chile, and Brazil and Chile, now include dedicated trade and gender chapters. These chapters emphasize capacity building and the creation of Trade and Gender Committees, though these committees are generally consultative and lack authority.
• Most existing gender provisions are limited by the use of 'best-endeavour' language and a lack of meaningful milestones, targets, or indicators to monitor their actual impact on gender equality.
• Trade policies often overlook the multiple roles women occupy, focusing heavily on women as workers while neglecting their impacts as consumers, carers, taxpayers, and rights holders. For example, export-oriented agriculture can displace subsistence farming, which women depend on more than men.
• The WTO's 2017 Joint Declaration on Trade and Women Economic Empowerment, endorsed by 127 members, represents a significant step in placing gender issues on the multilateral trade agenda and has led to the creation of an Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender.
• Different regional approaches to gender mainstreaming exist: the USMCA focuses on labour rights and discrimination in the workplace; the AfCFTA integrates gender through national implementation strategies to avoid using the gender wage gap as a competitive advantage; and the Global Trade and Gender Arrangement (signed by Canada, Chile, and New Zealand) aims to prevent the weakening of gender equality laws to attract investment.
• Ex ante gender impact assessments are critical for identifying potential inequalities before a policy is implemented. Examples include Canada's GBA+, which was applied to the Mercosur negotiations, and the UNCTAD Trade and Gender Toolbox, which uses CGE modelling to estimate impacts on women as workers.
• Human Rights Impact Assessments (HRIAs), such as the one commissioned by UNECA for the AfCFTA, provide a more holistic approach than Sustainability Impact Assessments (SIAs) by focusing on the most vulnerable and addressing intersectionality, such as the specific needs of rural women.

APA

Dommen, C. (2021). Mainstreaming Gender in Trade Policy. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-11/mainstreaming-gender-in-trade-policy.pdf

Chicago

Dommen, Caroline. Mainstreaming Gender in Trade Policy. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-11/mainstreaming-gender-in-trade-policy.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dommen |first1=Caroline |title=Mainstreaming Gender in Trade Policy |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=November 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-11/mainstreaming-gender-in-trade-policy.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dommen2021mainstreaming, author = {Dommen, Caroline}, title = {{Mainstreaming Gender in Trade Policy}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-11/mainstreaming-gender-in-trade-policy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }