Towards gender equality in Vietnam: Making inclusive growth work for women is an ambitious effort to look at Vietnam’s economy through a gender lens. Drawing a comprehensive gender-disaggregated statistical picture of selected economic sectors, the analysis highlights the unequal distribution of productive resources across different groups of women and men, persisting gender segmentation in the labour market, and greater vulnerability in female workers’ working conditions and pay. The study assesses Vietnam’ policy framework and provides recommendations to better realize women’s potential and make their economic livelihoods more secure, be they small-scale farmers, domestic paid workers, or garment factory workers.
UNWomen pays special attention to the relationship between the spheres of paid and unpaid work, and to the fact that policies should address these in an integrated way. Women typically spend disproportionately more time on unpaid care than men, and thus bear the double burden of productive and reproductive activities. Yet, there are a number of measures that could help reduce women’s unpaid care burden and free up their time, such as targeted investments in physical and social infrastructures. Such measures should be leveraged to ensure that women can benefit from economic opportunities on equal terms as men.
Gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment have been placed at the core of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with targets covering the gender dimensions of poverty, hunger, health, education, water and sanitation, employment, safe cities and peace and security across the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Viet Nam has pledged political support and determination in ensuring the successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the achievement of the global goals. If Viet Nam is to fulfil its commitments, now, more than ever, particular emphasis should be placed on those who are poorer and marginalized due to their gender, ethnicity and other sources of disadvantage. Securing livelihoods and the development of human capacities to all segments of the population is of crucial importance to build a modern, fair and just society that ‘leaves no one behind’.
Source: UN Women Vietnam
