Women Drive Value in Global Exports
Global domestic value added – the portion of an exported good’s or service’s value generated within a country – totaled $15 trillion in 2020. Women contributed 40% of exported value in developed economies – twice the share in Africa, according to UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). In Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as in Asia’s developing economies, men’s contributions are nearly double. The data, based on labour force surveys, cover both paid workers and the self-employed.
Women always drive value in exports but in particular, according to this study, women drive value in textile exports. Women’s share of domestic value added in industry exports typically ranges from 20% to 40%, but in Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand, it is around half or more – rising to 77% in Cambodia. This reflects the strong role of export-oriented manufacturing, particularly textiles and apparel, in employing female workers.
The interesting twist in the industry findings is that value added by women to services exports varies across developing economies.
Services are increasingly important in trade, accounting for 25% of global exports. In 2023, trade in services grew by 5% in real terms, even as merchandise trade shrank by 1.2%, according to UNCTAD’s Trade and Development Report 2024.
To make trade more inclusive, policies must expand women’s access to jobs in high-value sectors, strengthen labor rights and support their integration into larger enterprises engaged in global trade.
