(Illustrative photo: Thanh Tung/VNA)

Vietnam’s National Strategy on Gender Equality for the 2011-2020 period has succeeded in narrowing the gender gap in many fields and has created conditions for women to contribute to national socio-economic development.

Firm foundation

The UNDP’s Human Development Report for Viet gave Vietnam an HDI value for 2019 of 0.704, positioning it at 117 out of 189 countries and territories.

Vietnam’s gender equality work has resulted in a narrower gender gap in employment, a greater economic empowerment of women, improved accessibility to economic resources and jobs for poor women in rural areas and ethnic minority women, and an effort to develop high-quality female human resources.

The 2021 Population and Housing Census conducted by the General Statistics Office showed that women comprise 47.3% of the labor force. Women run 285,000 enterprises, 24% of the total. 97% of women between 15 and 60 are literate.

Between 2011 and 2020, gender equality was integrated into many important legal documents, including the 2013 Constitution, the 2013 Land Law, the 2014 revised Law on Marriage and Family, the 2015 Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents, the 2015 Penal Code, the 2019 revised Civil Code, and Labor Code. The revised Law on Social Insurance says male employees who have social insurance are entitled to full paid leave when their wives give birth and raises the retirement age of women.

In the elections for the 15th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2021-2026 term, female deputies won more than 30% of the National Assembly seats.

Continuing to narrow the gender gap

In March 2021 the Vietnamese government issued a National Strategy on gender equality for the 2021-2030 period to continue creating conditions and opportunities for women and men to enjoy social equality and contribute to national development. The Strategy covers 6 areas: politics and economics, labor, the family, rights violations, education, and communications.

Major goals include putting female leaders in key positions at 60% of state agencies and local administrations at all levels having by 2025 and 75% by 2030; and giving 60% of the population gender equality awareness by 2025 and 80% by 2030.

Vietnam has issued an action plan to implement the National Strategy on gender equality, which will strengthen the management and direction of Party Committees and the responsibility of administrative agencies at all levels for improving public awareness and fine-tuning regulations on gender equality.

Gender equality should be integrated into all policy-making and socio-economic development programs and strategies. Programs to promote gender equality and prevent violence against women should be expanded.