Making free trade work for women in Southern Africa

Trade agreements are being negotiated between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. While the treaties are meant to promote free trade and economic growth, their impacts on women will not necessarily be positive. Gender analysis must be part of trade negotiations if women are to share in the benefits.

The Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the European Union (EU) and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries were due to come into force at the end of 2007. This means ACP countries have to remove tariffs on ‘substantially all’ imports from the EU. A report from One World Action, in the UK, considers the potential impacts on women by looking at evidence from Zambia, Namibia and Mozambique.

Although there is debate and uncertainty surrounding the costs and benefits of the EPAs, they will undoubtedly have a profound impact on men and women. ACP countries will have to deal with loss of tariff revenue once they provide free market access to EU products that their own products may not be able to compete with. But it is women trapped in insecure jobs with low wages, and additionally exploited at home, who suffer most from unfair trade policies.

The report asks how an EPA might affect women’s employment and wages and their use of public services. It also evaluates women-related policies and participation in Zambia, Namibia and Mozambique:

• Working conditions will worsen for women workers; producers (including women) will face higher costs; and even consumers may face higher prices, such as women barred from cross-border sugar trading in Mozambique and forced to buy at high local prices.
• The EPAs will allow the exclusion of certain goods from liberalisation, though it is difficult to identify those important to women.
• Revenue losses may reduce public spending and increase taxation, increasing the burden on women.
• ACP countries will find it difficult to compete with EU producers: for example, Namibian women lack the fertiliser, implements and technical knowledge to increase crop yields.
• The organisations and governments negotiating EPAs possess strong gender policies but these are not reflected in the trade negotiations.
• Women have not been included in EPA decision-making and the negotiating teams lack gender expertise; there is a tendency to consult women later rather than at the beginning.

Key recommendations include:

• Research is needed to identify which items should not be liberalised to protect women both as consumers and as producers (statistics on women’s economic activities are needed).
• The EPAs should be used to negotiate better working conditions: women’s organisations must apply pressure nationally and internationally.
• Trade-related assistance should target women to increase their productive and competitive capacities by improving their access to land, labour, inputs, credit and technology.
• Taxes to counter revenue loss from tariffs should be low for basic necessities, and additional resources should be allocated so public spending cuts do not affect women.
• EPA negotiations should include non-state groups, particularly women’s groups.
• The EU and ACP must maintain policy coherence between their gender, development, and trade policies.