Competition
Gender inclusive competition policy
| The fight for gender equality is one of the defining challenges of our age. While progress has been made in many areas, the relationship between gender and competition policy remains largely unexplored. Competition policy usually thinks in terms of consumers and firms, government and regulators. Traditionally, consumers have been considered only by their willingness to pay, their (rational) preferences, their ability to substitute between products offered by firms. Meanwhile, firms are treated as entities that are defined by the profit-maximising objectives of their owners, and only rarely seen as collections of people. Competition policy is therefore largely gender blind and prides itself on its objectivity. However, in 2018, the OECD began to explore whether a gender lens might in fact help deliver a more effective competition policy by identifying additional relevant features of the market, and of the behaviour of consumers and firms, as well as whether a more effective competition policy can help address gender inequality. The OECD Gender Inclusive Competition Policy project has been launched with the support of the Canadian Government and in particular the Canadian Competition Bureau to develop guidance for competition agencies in this area. |
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What changes can competition agencies and policy makers make in order to build a gender inclusive competition policy? The OECD has now selected seven projects that will generate new evidence to inform the debate and help develop guidance on how to develop a more gender inclusive competition policy. Progress on the projects will be presented for discussion and comment during the Gender & Competition Policy Workshop on 25 February 2021. The research will feed into the OECD's development of a practical toolkit for the Canadian Competition Bureau and other competition authorities who are interested in building a gender inclusive competition policy. Final papers will be submitted in May 2021 in time for presentation in June 2021. Learn more about the seven projects
Download the Call for Proposals
Register for the Gender & Competition Policy Workshop on 25 February 2021
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Contacts
For more information on this project or the call don't hesitate to write us at dafcomp.contact@oecd.org or contact
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