Feminist responses to economic globalisation: some examples of past and future practice

Abstract

In order to challenge unfair international trade rules, it is essential to understand how each of them works. This article presents an overview of the various agreements concerning different kinds of economic activity, which are enforced by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It aims to make these agreements comprehensible to non-economists, so that proposals to make international trade more gender equitable can be understood. The argument goes beyond the usual rhetoric that women's concerns must be central to international trade regulation, and reviews some existing and new initiatives which seek to do just that.