The reality of people’s mindset towards successful women in Vietnam is a sad one. A woman’s success seems to be determined not by the hard work she has contributed, the long hours she has sacrificed, the education she has had, but rather by the man she is with or without. If she is in a relationship, her successful career is blinded by the fact that “she could still keep a guy despite all that time-consuming work.” All of this boils down to the ongoing gender inequality issue in Vietnam, particularly in the workforce.
The root of the problem is not with the participation and engagement that women have in the workforce, it is rather the societal and cultural notions that burdens women with both work and family responsibilities. According to International Labour Organization’s research on Gender and the labor market in Vietnam, around 79 percent of women aged between 15 and 64 are either engaged in paid work or are looking for jobs in Vietnam compared to 85 percent of men. While the female participation rate in Vietnam is considered impressive, this should not be mistaken as an indicator of relatively limited gender inequality in the country.
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Female workers are given long hours of work in lower quality employment while also juggling with their family duties all by themselves. They spend twice as many hours as men producing services for their own household, such as cleaning, cooking, or caring for family members and children. Almost all women are involved in these activities on a weekly basis. A lower share of men are found to be involved in each of these activities, and close to 20 percent of men report they do not spend any time in these activities at all. They also tend to earn less than men, despite comparable working hours and the progressive elimination of gender gaps in educational achievement. They are also underrepresented in decision-making jobs. It is more common for men to take up managerial and supervisory jobs in formal sectors such as IT, engineering, architecture, and politics. Despite the legal prohibitions on indication of gender preference in recruitment advertisements, companies still engage in unfair hiring practices. Even within the government, parliamentary and ministerial roles are typically filled by men. (ILO research)
The situation is worsened now with COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing and has not only exacerbated existing inequalities, but also created new gender gaps. Women faced an especially severe reduction in working hours during the second quarter of 2020. They left the labour market in larger shares than men. Younger and older women, typically holding the most unstable employment arrangements, are particularly likely to have left the labour force. A gender-based gap appeared in the unemployment rate. In the third and fourth quarter, those women who were still employed worked longer hours than usual. This choice might stem from a need to make up for income losses incurred in the second quarter. On top of increased economic activity, women also spent almost 30 hours per week on household work. These elements suggest that the pandemic might have made women’s double burden heavier than before the crisis hit.
The first myth lies in the fact that people believe women entrepreneurs are more risk averse than men in seeking finance. The truth is that women approach risk differently than men because of their focus on long-term goals and greater awareness of risk. In other words, they tend to measure and analyze risk more meticulously, rather than simply following their intuition.
The second myth is women with children do not have time to lead a business. Family responsibilities should be considered important to both female and male executives as you are both the parents to your children. However, with the social norms that dictate women’s roles in the household and put down career females who spend less time with their family, the greater challenge for women lies in dealing with the pressures from society and those around them rather than juggling between both business and kids. The reality is motherhood has helped female entrepreneurs gain several benefits, such as the increased ability to work under pressure, negotiating more effectively (because the stakes are higher), and greater resilience to weather ups and downs.
The third myth lies in the misconception that women do not have time to learn or network. However, women are actually eager to improve their business skills and are willing and able to make time for it. Women tend to seek advice from women they are not related to more than from male non-relatives. They are interested in practical capacity building programs to sharpen their business skills (branding, marketing, and managing staff above all) and are willing to pay up to $130 a month for high-quality courses. Several networking and support platforms for women-owned enterprises are active and popular in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, take Shark Thai Van Linh’s Skills Bridge program as an example.
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There are still many more myths and misconceptions that need to be debunked but what it all comes down to is that women, whether high-paying managers or lower-level staff, all suffer from the judgemental outlooks that society has given them. The core issue lies in the mindset that every woman needs a man to survive, to be successful and to be considered “enough”. A woman’s success should not be defined by who she is with or without and this should be applied to women in general and not just those who are fortunate enough to make more money.
Whether you are the first Vietnamese female billionaire Nguyen Phuong Thao or a waste collector trying to feed your family, you are contributing positively to society and helping those around you in different ways and your work is not any less significant than a man’s. Therefore, you need to be recognized and paid exactly or even more than a man because you are also taking on the great role of being a mother — one of the most difficult positions you could ever take on, and this is said by many female and male leaders all over the world.
At the end of the day, everybody’s definition of happiness differs, society should never be given the right to dictate whether or not a woman is happy. Everybody needs and deserves to be loved, regardless of your gender, sexuality, or pay wage. People should remember that love can come from all different sources that do not necessarily need to be romance. Love can come from your friends, your children, your parents, your coworkers, your career, and yourself. A person does not require the love from someone else to be “whole” because they have always been enough with or without someone.
Having said that, Vietnam has been more supportive than ever before when it comes to encouraging women to join the workforce and paying them fair wage and allowing them great benefits. The government is also issuing rules and regulations that help protect women’s own mental and physical health in the workplace and provide care packages that support vulnerable families. More and more men understand the importance of their wives’ hardwork and are trying their best to share the housework and raise children.
JobHopin Team
Bibliography:
COVID-19 widens existing gender inequalities, creates new gaps in Viet Nam. Labour market: COVID-19 widens existing gender inequalities, creates new gaps in Viet Nam. (2021, March 4). https://www.ilo.org/hanoi/Informationresources/Publicinformation/Pressreleases/WCMS_774498/lang–en/index.htm.
Vietnamese women are increasingly well prepared for decision-making roles in businesses. Gender equality: Vietnamese women are increasingly well prepared for decision-making roles in businesses. (2020, November 17). https://www.ilo.org/hanoi/Informationresources/Publicinformation/Pressreleases/WCMS_761182/lang–en/index.htm.
Alpuerto, A. (2021, July 15). Vietnamese Women in 2021: Inspiring, Empowered, Influential. Vietcetera. https://vietcetera.com/en/vietnamese-women-in-2021-inspiring-empowered-influential.
Covid-19 widens gender inequality at workplace: ILO Vietnam. VnExpress. https://e.vnexpress.net/news/business/economy/covid-19-widens-gender-inequality-at-workplace-ilo-vietnam-4243871.html.
Social Determinants of Gender Inequality in Vietnam. Investing in Women. https://investinginwomen.asia/knowledge/social-determinants-gender-inequality-vietnam/
International Labor Organization . (2021, March). Gender and the labor market in Vietnam. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—asia/—ro-bangkok/—ilo-hanoi/documents/publication/wcms_774434.pdf
Wells, M. (2005, November). Vietnam: Gender situation analysis. https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/institutional-document/32246/cga-viet-nam.pdf