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Women and Trade
For women in developing countries, the ability to trade can mean the difference between barely surviving and sending their children to school. Despite hard work, extreme poverty and high unemployment often mean that selling their products to other countries (where people have the money to buy them) is the only chance women in poor countries have to earn a sufficient income.

International trade, if designed to benefit poor women and families, could end world poverty. Unfortunately, current U.S. trade policies, even those meant to reduce global poverty, often do not reach women, who are at the greatest risk of being poor and who are more likely to spend income from trade on their families' futures. This is because women face unique barriers to accessing global markets and participating in international trade. Women Thrive Worldwide advocates for U.S. trade policies that address these barriers and economically empower women--so their families and communities can thrive.

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  1. GROWTH Senate Briefing A Success

  2. Women Thrive Proposes Greater U.S. Market Access for Least Developed Countries

    Women's Edge Coalition (Women Thrive Worldwide as of January 2008) has taken the lead on a new proposal to the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) asking that the U.S. provide one hundred percent market access for exports from Least Developed Countries, without duties or quotas. 

  3. Global Trade: Women Thrive Brings Women's Needs to Washington

    Women's Edge Coalition (Women Thrive Worldwide as of January 2008) brings the needs of women in poor countries straight to U.S. decision-makers, urging the Senate to extend and improve vital Trade Preference Programs.

  4. Teaching Women to Make the Most of Trade

    Women Thrive Worldwide teaches working women in Fiji and Papua New Guinea to make the most of trade preference programs.

  5. New Trade Bill Would Create Opportunities for Women Living in Poverty

    Giving women access to trade is one of the best ways we can empower them to escape poverty. On October 18, a bill that could help millions of women living in poverty access trade was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

  6. ‘Banker to Poor Women’ Wins 2006 Nobel Peace Prize

  7. GROWTH Act Unveiled at Successful Public Event

  8. International Trade Reporter on Trade Preference Programs

  9. African Growth and Opportunity Act: Pro-Women?

  10. All Over the Globe, Women are Victims of the Credit Crisis

    Ritu Sharma, Women Thrive's Co-founder and President on how women around the world are being affected by the financial crisis. Also see her Op/Ed in the New York Daily News.

  11. The Financial Crisis: How Its Affecting Women Worldwide

  1. New Trade Bill Would Create Opportunities for Women Living in Poverty

    Giving women access to trade is one of the best ways we can empower them to escape poverty. On October 18, a bill that could help millions of women living in poverty access trade was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

  2. The Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive (GROWTH Act)

    Tackling the barriers that keep women and families poor.

  3. Global Trade: Women Thrive Brings Women's Needs to Washington

    Women's Edge Coalition (Women Thrive Worldwide as of January 2008) brings the needs of women in poor countries straight to U.S. decision-makers, urging the Senate to extend and improve vital Trade Preference Programs.

  4. Women Thrive Proposes Greater U.S. Market Access for Least Developed Countries

    Women's Edge Coalition (Women Thrive Worldwide as of January 2008) has taken the lead on a new proposal to the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) asking that the U.S. provide one hundred percent market access for exports from Least Developed Countries, without duties or quotas. 

  5. Why U.S. Trade Preference Programs Matter for Women

    U.S. trade preference programs have the potential help millions of women around the world escape poverty. Here's what we need to do to make this happen.

  6. Teaching Women to Make the Most of Trade

    Women Thrive Worldwide teaches working women in Fiji and Papua New Guinea to make the most of trade preference programs.

  7. African Women and Trade: Helping End Poverty in Africa

    What's one of the most important ways the U.S. can help end poverty in Africa? Allow African women to trade with the the U.S.

  8. Women Thrive to Conduct Survey of Women's Groups Worldwide

  9. Edge Joins Three Major Nonprofits to Urge Extension of Trade Benefits for Poor Nations

    A possible move to revoke trade benefits for large developing nations would be a serious blow for development, Edge said in a joint statement filed with the US Trade Representative’s office along with Oxfam America, the German Marshall Fund and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 

    To read the comments filed with the United States Trade Representative in their entirety, click here. 

  10. Trade Impact Review: Jamaica Case Study

  11. The Trade Impact Review

  1. Get to Know the "Women Who Light the Dark"

    An inspiring new book by photo-journalist Paola Gianturco shows us how women around the world are using their imaginations against all odds to solve their communities' most intractable problems.

  2. Julie Econtró: Bringing Credit, and Hope, to Women in the Philippines

    As a microfinance manager in the Philippines, Julie Econtró brings hope to hundreds of women living in poverty.

  3. Eugenia Akuete: Fighting Poverty in Ghana with Trade

    Eugenia Akuete grew up in Ghana surrounded by poverty. Now is earning an income and teaching other women to do the same by producing and selling shea butter to the U.S.

  4. Shade Bembatoum-Young: Why I Support the GROWTH Act

    Shade Bembatoum Young has dedicated her life to help women in Nigeria escape poverty by starting and growing their own businesses. Learn why she supports the GROWTH Act.

  5. PBS Documentary Tells Wrenching Story of Women in ‘Maquilas’

  6. From Textiles to Transformation: How Chandaben Shroff Harnessed the Power of Trade to Fight Poverty

    By helping local embroiderers in the Kachchh region of India sell their textiles to other markets, Chandaben Shroff has helped countless families escape poverty.

  1. Stand Up and Speak Out For World Poverty Day

    October 17 is World Poverty Day. To honor this important day, Women Thrive is participating in Stand Up and Speak Out, a 24-hour worldwide call to take action against poverty and inequality.