After Vietnam joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Vietnamese enterprises enjoy many opportunities but also encounter numerous difficulties. To survive and develop, economists and authorities have applied many measures to enhance the competitiveness of Vietnamese businesses. However, there is a very important, but little-mentioned, aspect to improve competitiveness and develop human resources, that is, promoting gender equality in business affairs to ensure human rights of women. In the meantime, gender equality is the leverage for Vietnam to integrate intensively, extensively and effectively.
Many shortcomings
In recent years, the gender equality issue in Vietnam has drawn special concerns of the Party, the State and social organizations. Recognition of women’s roles, positions, rights, interests and duties to men has improved significantly. Vietnamese women are playing increasingly important role and holding more important social positions. They are trusted to hold important positions which previously only belong to men. In their homes, they have gradually regained their positions as the real mistresses and had decisive voice in all affairs.
Since Vietnam integrated into the world, its economy has increasingly flourished. Those encouraging achievements are substantially contributed by Vietnamese women and they are a positive factor in the economic front. Many women are holding key positions in the State organs and corporations. They are not only excellent managers but also the Gold Roses on the business front.
At present, Vietnamese women account for a high ratio in the labour but gender equality index is lower than regional countries. Although Vietnam has the Law on Gender Equality and gains certain progress, inequality between men and women is still seen very clearly in many aspects, especially in business. In large enterprises, both State-owned and private-run, very few women hold leadership positions. In many economic sectors and industries, women are generally subject to many disadvantages. They have limited conditions to promote their creativity and have few opportunities to study for career promotion. Meanwhile, they are busy with giving birth, bringing up children and doing housework and they are subject to male chauvinism. These are also the causes for their lower incomes than men.
Removing barriers
To achieve better gender equality requires the joint effort of the society, especially authorities and political organisations. Organisations need to accelerating mobilisation and propagation to change the biased look on the role of women in Vietnam today. The State organs at all tiers should give priority and create favourable conditions for women to access the education, career and promotion opportunities and participate in social organisations. Besides, government agencies and concerned branches should take care and create more favourable conditions for women to attain equality, promote their roles and strengths, and share their efforts to build a peaceful, prosperous and happy world.
Mass organisations like trade unions, women's unions and youth unions should concentrate more on material life and resolve to eradicate backward practices to enhance the role and position of women, especially those in rural areas and far-lying areas.
Enterprises need to determine that women-men equality is only gained when they perform both social and home affairs well but this requires the solid backing from their families and facilitation from their working units. Thus, businesses should take gender equality implementation as a long-term strategic objective with a number of interventions to promote gender equality. Struggle for the rights of women from the State, the Government, branches, unions and businesses etc, will help women to be more confident to perform their capacities to devote more to their families and the society as a whole.
Thanh Tan
Vietnamese
