IGTN opposes the trade of services essential to social reproduction, services that are fundamental to the care economy for which women around the world are primarily responsible.

Women are the primary service providers in their families, societies, and in the market economy. It is women who are responsible for providing health care, education, water, and other public goods essential for the health and well being of their families and communities. As it often the case when these goods are privatized or deregulated, they become less accessible and more costly for the poorer sections of society, often women.

Women workers in the service sector are also adversely affected when the services sector is privatized. For many women, public service jobs are the most secure jobs they can get and offer the most benefits. However, their job security is threatened when these jobs are opened to competition.

• Final Declaration from the South American region on WTO services negotiations seminar. By Representatives from several South American orgznizations, networks, social movements and trade unions. June, 2006.
• The EU's responsibility at the WTO: Environment, Gender and development. By WIDE and FOEE. June, 2006.
• Developing Countries Resist the Expansion and Consolidation of Market Access in NAMA and Service. By Maria Pia Hernandez - IGTN Secretariat. December, 2005.
• Investment and Labor Mobility in Trade Intensification. By Marina Durano, Gigi Francisco, Naty Bernardino - IGTN Asia. December, 2005.
• IGTN-Asia Speaks on Mode 4 of GATS. By Naty Bernardino - IGTN Asia, March 2005.
• Nationalist Domestic Regulation in the Era of Trade Intensification. By Naty Bernardino - IGTN Asia. September, 2005.
• Financial and Tourism Markets: Unrestricted Market Liberalization Under the GATs Prevents Sustainable Development. By Marianne Hochuli, April, 2005.
• The WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and Sustainable Tourism in Developing Countries - in Contradiction?  By Marianne Hochuli and Christine Plüss. January, 2005.
• Faites vos jeux, Messieurs! or a Case Study on the Impact of GATS in Bulgaria. By Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation (BGRF) and WIDE. April, 2004.
• IGTN On-Line Learning Module: General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)!
• Gender, Water and Trade. By Melissa Whited - IGTN Secretariat, July, 2003.
• Caribbean GTN - A Literature Review: Gender, Trade, and Investment. By Sheila Stuart. December, 2003. 
• The General Agreement on Trade in Services: the Debate between the North and South. By Mariama Williams - IGTN Jamaica. November, 2003.
• Tourism Liberalization, Gender and the GATS. By Mariama Williams - IGTN Jamaica. November, 2003.
• Education Matters: General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). By Maria Riley - USGTN. march, 2002.  
• IMF-World Bank-WTO Coherence: the Implications for Water Privatisation. Speaker’s Notes - Is Your Water Safe?: The World Bank, the WTO and Our Social and Economic Future. By Mariama Williams. November, 2002.
• The Political Economy of Tourism Liberalization, Gender and the GATS. By Mariama Williams  IGTN Jamaica, April, 2002.
• Trade Trends in the US and their Gendered Impacts: Deregulation, Privatization, US Protectionism, the US Trade Deficit and NAFTA. By Maria Riley, Christina Reyna. August, 2001. 
• GATS and Healthcare - Why do women care? By Alexandra Spieldoch - IGTN Secretariat. October, 2001.
• Trends in Deregulation and Privatization of Services in the United States: 3 Short Case Studies.  By USGTN, August, 2001.
• An Introduction to the General Agreement on Trade In Services (GATS) for Gender Advocates. By Farah Fosse. June, 2001. 

Additional articles are available online in the IGTN Resource Library.