Many women have benefited from trade and globalization. Women business owners in the U.S. and Canada are active in international trade. However, the benefits of global trade have not been evenly distributed. Many women have seen their wages decrease and their workloads double. Work at many EPZs often involves long hours and harsh working conditions.
Most women work at home cleaning, cooking, caring for their family, as well as outside of the home.
In some cultures women are responsible for cultivating certain plants, while in other cultures, women are traditionally responsible for taking items to market. To balance all of these roles, women often have to develop creative solutions to ensure that their paid work and unpaid work are completed. One way women balance these roles is to work in the informal sector, selling crafts or food at markets, so that they can care for their children while they work. Trade agreements need to recognize women s competing demands and ensure that women benefit from trade to the same extent that men do. International trade agreements like the FTAA can work to ensure that global trade works for women.