In recent decades, Global Value Chains (GVCs) have not only become widespread, but now account for more than two-thirds of international trade. In GVCs, raw materials, industrial parts and components, as well as services, cross borders several times and are incorporated into final products. As GVCs account for the bulk of trade, the trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) policies of many developing countries seek integration and scaling up in these chains. Governments and the private sector see GVCs as strategic for generating export earnings, transferring knowledge and technology, and promoting employment.

This publication, Gender Gaps in GVCs in Latin America and the Caribbean, provides guidelines for analyzing and understanding gender inequalities in GVCs. For this purpose, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Regional Program Partnerships for Democracy and Development with Latin America (ADELA) of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, based in Panama, promote dialogue and critical thinking on the gender perspective in exit strategies and transformation through the contribution of new analyses and the evidence that emerges from them, as well as the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations for Sustainable Development.