From Commitment to Coherence: Rethinking Trade Policy for Gender Equality (2026)
This analysis by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) Global argues that trade policy is often treated as gender-neutral even though women experience global trade systems differently as workers, entrepreneurs and consumers. The report warns that many trade agreements include gender provisions that are largely symbolic, while structural barriers—from unpaid care work and limited access to finance to discriminatory norms and weak data—continue to prevent women from fully benefiting from trade. To close the gap between rhetoric and results, the authors propose a new GRO+ framework (Goals, Realities and Roles, Options) aimed at aligning trade policy with the economic realities that women face and embedding gender equality more systematically into trade agreements, aid programs, and policy reforms.