Gender equality under Vietnamese labor law in alignment with the sustainable development goals

Abstract

Gender equality is ranked as the fifth of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. To ensure fairness for women, it is essential to establish a comprehensive legal framework, continuously improve policies, and propose appropriate regulations concerning female workers. This paper employs legal analysis to clarify the concept of gender equality, while examining the policies and benefits based on biological characteristics (such as menstrual leave and breastfeeding rooms) as well as labor rights for transgender women. The findings indicate that in principle, Vietnamese labor law emphasizes equality in recruitment, promotion, and workplace participation. However, certain provisions remain inconsistent in practice, and the legal framework has yet to fully address equality for workers with diverse gender identities. The present study raises concerns of whether current regulations on gender equality in the field of labor are sufficient to ensure fairness in labor relations, and whether the defined concept of gender equality truly reflects this principle.