This OECD Trade and Gender Review of Latin America sheds light on women’s engagement in trade and the impacts of trade and trade policies on women in seven Latin American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Peru. It examines women in trade in three of their economic roles: as workers, consumers, and business leaders This review draws from the methodology outlined in the OECD’s Trade and Gender Framework of Analysis. It sets out a number of policy recommendations to ensure women in Latin America share in the benefits from trade and contribute to make their region more prosperous and thereby a safer and more desirable place to live and work.
The research and analysis employed and adapted OECD tools and data such as the Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (STRI), the Trade Facilitation Indicators (TFI), Trade in Value Added (TiVA) and Trade in Employment (TiM) by characteristics data, the METRO trade model and the Future of Business Survey (FOBS). Quantitative findings were complemented by structured discussions with women entrepreneurs and exporters during a series of workshops and interviews. This input gathered in round tables with women business leaders in Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Peru helped to draw out relevant trends and pinpoint specific challenges women face in each country.
The analysis and policy recommendations in this Review were developed by the OECD in consultation with officials from OECD Members and all countries examined in this Review in discussions in the Working Party of the Trade Committee. All countries had a chance to comment on the findings and recommendations, and many took advantage of that opportunity.
The evidence and policy recommendations presented in this Review aim to inform future actions to improve women’s participation in trade in Latin America. A phase two of this Review is underway and focuses more keenly on a subset of the countries covered in this Review, further tailoring policy recommendations to their specific settings.