Economic (In)Security and Gender Differences in Trade Policy Attitudes

46 Pages Posted: 15 Feb 2014

See all articles by Jeffrey M. Drope

Jeffrey M. Drope

Marquette University

Abdur Chowdhury

Marquette University - Department of Economics; United Nations - Economic Commission for Europe

Date Written: February 14, 2014

Abstract

Over time and across countries, researchers have noted frequent and mostly unexplained gender differences in the levels of support for policies of free or freer trade: women tend to be less favorable toward policies of liberalizing trade than men. Using an economic security explanation based principally on a mobile factors approach, we find that it is not women generally who are more negative toward trade but particularly economically vulnerable women – i.e. women from the scarce labor factor. We utilize recent survey data on individuals’ attitudes toward different facets of trade and its effects across three disparate regions to examine this phenomenon empirically. An economic security approach helps to explain the marked differences in attitudes toward trade among lower- and higher-skilled females in developing and developed countries.

Keywords: trade policy, gender difference, labor mobility, Latin America, Muslim countries

JEL Classification: F14, F20, O57

Suggested Citation

Drope, Jeffrey M. and Chowdhury, Abdur and Chowdhury, Abdur, Economic (In)Security and Gender Differences in Trade Policy Attitudes (February 14, 2014). William Davidson Institute Working Paper No. 1067, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2396130 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2396130

Jeffrey M. Drope

Marquette University ( email )

P.O. Box 1881
Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881
United States

Abdur Chowdhury (Contact Author)

United Nations - Economic Commission for Europe ( email )

Palais des Nations
Geneva
Switzerland

Marquette University - Department of Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 1881
Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881
United States

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