Africa: The impact of trade liberalisation on African women

Trade liberalisation processes impact differently on men and women due to the fact that men and women have different roles in production. Despite the fact that women are actively involved in international trade, WTO agreements are gender blind and as such have adverse impacts on women. The first part of this paper presents an analysis of the impacts of WTO agreements on women in developing countries. Provisions of specific agreements and the impacts on women are outlined. The second and main section of the paper is a compilation of case studies on the impacts of trade liberalisation on women in Africa.