Empowering women in international trade

International trade is a force for good, carrying ideas, people and products around the world, transforming lives and communities in the process. As evidenced in research by the WTO, the number of people living in extreme poverty globally has halved since 1990, in large part due to the opening up of markets following the signing of the updated General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1994.

International trade is at its best when it is inclusive and equal, representing the diversity of humankind, especially women. At present though, there is a gender disparity in international trade, with only a third of workers at exporting firms around the world being women.

Indeed, the global labour force suffers from pronounced gender inequality. Data from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has found that less than half (47.7%) of women around the world participate in the global labour force, compared to 72% of men. Of the total women employed, only 27% are employed at a managerial level and just 18% are top-level managers, according to the Global Gender Gap Report in 2020.

By watching our Empowering women in international trade webinar recording, you will gain a critical understanding of how trade policy and initiatives at home and abroad can support and empower more women to enter and thrive in international trade.

This 1-hour webinar covers:

• Key learnings from an IOE&IT panel of international experts on trade policy and gender at the 2022 WTO Public Forum

• Initiatives supporting women in trade including the International Trade Centre’s SheTrades Initiative and the Organization for Women in International Trade (OWIT)

• Recommendations for how digital technologies can support female employment

• Experiences of female IOE&IT members in trade

• The role of the IOE&IT in supporting women in trade