MARKET RESEARCH ON WORKPLACE GENDER EQUALITY IN VIETNAM

Abstract

Gender equality in Vietnam has been significantly improved thanks to the strong commitment of the Government as well as changes by Vietnamese the young Vietnamese generations over the last few decades. In different areas, the gaps between men and women have been narrowed. Today, women are healthier, better educated, and more powerful in politics and economics. Women’s voices are increasingly being heard in decision-making processes both in the public and in organizations. Yet this achievement has not met expectations.More Vietnamese women, however, work in low-income occupations or vulnerable jobs than men (ILO, 2018). Additionally, based on The World Bank data in 2018, women received 12.6% less in salary than men given the same education level, ethnic group, and age (World Bank, 2018). Position of women in the labour market is heavily affected by the socio-economic disadvantages stemming from gender-based discrimination. Most Vietnamese women have less access to productive resources, education, skills development and employment opportunities than men. In 2020, Vietnam Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (VBCWE) and Deloitte Market research team in Vietnam have conducted a market research on gender equality issues within Vietnamese workplace to explore the current status of workplace gender equality (WGE) among enterprise community in Vietnam, their attitudes towards WGE, existing corporate shortcomings, and obstacles that are preventing the development of WGE. Our research analyzes and evaluates the topic based on the survey of 236 enterprises in Vietnam with the majority is the private sector. The research witnessed the interest of the majority of Vietnam businesses in workplace gender equality. Nearly half of respondents, however, have not applied or implemented any workplace gender equality-related policy or action. It is also notable that among surveyed businesses, those are in manufacturing or export sector showed their actual demand on the research topic due to trade integration requirement and international agreement on labor quality. This report has been funded by Investing in Women, an initiative of the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that catalyses inclusive economic growth through women’s economic empowerment in South East Asia. Investing in Women works with influential companies on shifting workplace cultures, practices and policy barriers to achieve workplace gender equality (WGE) in Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam.