Vietnam

Vietnam has shown strong commitment to gender equality as demonstrated by improvements in the legislative framework, including the introduction of gender equality provisions into the 2019 Labour Code, and a growing focus on gender-responsive practices in the business sector. Despite these efforts, challenges remain, including gender norms that create gaps in economic opportunities and outcomes for women.

While Vietnam’s ranking in the Global Gender Gap Report 2023 went up to 72nd from 83rd in 2022, it’s still far behind its peak at 42nd in 2007, and trailing behind ASEAN peers like the Philippines and Singapore. While the female labour force participation rate in Vietnam is commendable at 68.0%—surpassing both global and regional averages—women are overrepresented in informal sector roles or in low-wage employment. The gender pay gap within the formal wage sector stands at 13.7%.

In the industrial sector, 91.2% of women worked in manufacturing, which has been especially hit hard by Vietnam’s post-COVID economic downturn, leading to layoffs and reduced operations. Additionally, responsibility for unpaid care work falls disproportionately on women, who perform on average almost 2 times more such work than men. Cultural views reinforce traditional gender roles, with 57% of Vietnamese men seeing breadwinning as predominantly a man’s duty and 28% believing child caregiving to be more of a woman’s responsibility.

Investing in Women works with local and regional organisations in Vietnam to reduce gender disparities in the workplace, broaden women’s access to economic opportunities, and promote more equitable sharing of unpaid care responsibilities.