When women shape the rules, consumers benefit

Why representation changes outcomes

The ISO Committee on consumer policy (COPOLCO) plays a critical role in ensuring that consumer perspectives are integrated into International Standards. For Eunsook Moon, Chair of COPOLCO, the mission is straightforward: standards must work for real people in real markets. She has often emphasized that bringing consumers into the process improves outcomes – because consumers ask different questions.

• Is the labelling clear?
• Is the product intuitive to use?
• Do the safety requirements reflect actual usage conditions?
• Who might be left out?

As Moon explains, COPOLCO works to ensure that “real consumer experiences and concerns are reflected in ISO policies and standards”, starting at governance level and continuing throughout technical development. “By integrating priorities such as safety, usability, clear information and the protection of vulnerable groups, ISO standards better address societal needs and strengthen consumer trust,” she says.

And when women are actively involved, those questions become even more grounded. Women bring insight shaped by everyday experience: running businesses, managing households, navigating healthcare systems, using digital platforms. Those perspectives strengthen the end result.

Moon’s point is simple but powerful: consumer participation isn’t a “nice to have”. It is a quality control mechanism for the system itself. Inclusion doesn’t dilute technical rigour. It sharpens it.  

The cost of missing voices 

History has shown what happens when diversity is absent from design and decision-making. For years, crash-test dummies were modelled primarily on male physiology. Personal protective equipment often reflected male body dimensions. Digital systems failed to anticipate patterns of online harassment disproportionately affecting women. These weren’t malicious decisions. They were omissions. And omissions have consequences. 

That concern is echoed by representatives of Consumers International’s Next Generation Leaders Network, a platform bringing forward young consumer advocates from around the world. Vanessa Pratley of Consumer NZ in New Zealand observes that “when women’s cultural identities, histories, knowledge and lived experiences are involved in the economy, consumer protection systems are more likely to be fair, inclusive and reflective of society as a whole”. In other words, representation shapes fairness.

A practical case: menstrual products and ISO/TC 338

Few examples illustrate this more clearly than the work of ISO/TC 338, the ISO technical committee developing standards for menstrual products. For decades, menstrual products were widely available but inconsistently regulated across markets. Safety benchmarks varied. Labelling practices differed. Testing methodologies lacked harmonization. Consumers often had little basis for comparing quality or safety claims.

That changed when the issue moved into the standards arena – and critically, when women were at the table.

Fatou Bintou Thiam, CEO of Global Service For Women in Senegal, and member of ISO/TC 338, emphasizes how standards directly influence the quality, safety and accessibility of products, particularly in sectors such as health, textiles and social innovation. Participation, she explains, also gives women entrepreneurs access to technical knowledge and compliance processes, enabling them to anticipate regulatory expectations, improve quality and strengthen business sustainability.

For Fatou, credibility is central. “When International Standards exist, I can align my production with recognized safety benchmarks,” she says. “This reassures customers, partners and regulators that our reusable pads are not just affordable and eco-friendly, but also medically and technically safe.”

Lowering barriers, raising standards 

Both committee members also point to barriers that still limit broader participation: lack of awareness about standards processes, resource constraints for smaller producers, time burdens and structural gender imbalances in technical sectors. When those barriers are lowered, participation broadens, and the quality of the outcome rises. 

ISO/TC 338 Chair Gerda Mazi Larsson explains that the standards under development will establish clear safety requirements and comparable testing methods, ensuring a consistent baseline regardless of where products are made or sold. “Harmonized standards,” she says, “reduce the risk of unsafe products reaching consumers and help ensure that products are fit for purpose”.

The ambition, she adds, is to create practical and inclusive standards that all countries can sign up to. This will improve access to safe menstrual products and enable informed consumer choice, wherever a woman lives.

That’s consumer protection in action. And it happens because women are involved, not as a gesture, but as technical contributors.

Inclusion is a market performance issue 

Zoom out, and the principle holds across sectors.  

When women participate in standards development: 

• Product requirements better reflect real-world use 
• Safety thresholds become more reliable 
• Accessibility improves 
• Innovation expands 

Research across governance and business shows that diverse decision-making bodies make better decisions. As Gerda notes, when actual users are present in the room – including in leadership roles – standards are far more likely to reflect real-world needs rather than theoretical assumptions. Inclusive expert groups identify risks earlier. They anticipate unintended consequences. They improve legitimacy. And legitimacy is the backbone of trust.  

Consumer protection systems don’t function on enforcement alone. They function because people believe in them. Consumers trust certification marks; they rely on quality labels; they assume standards are fair. That belief strengthens markets.