The Independent View: Vietnam's Growing Woman Workforce

Vietnam has One of the Highest Female Labor Force Participation Rates, the Proportion of Women who are in Paid Work or looking for it, in the World. Some 79% of Women aged 15 to 64 are in the Labor Force, compared with 86% of Men. That figure is Higher than in All the Members of The Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) except Iceland, Sweden and Switzerland, and Ten Percentage Points above China, Vietnam’s Northern Neighbor

Many Scholars believe that Vietnam was a largely Matriarchal Society before a period of Chinese Conquest that began in 111 BC. A Long History of Wars with China, and later France and America, pulled Women into the Workforce, as more Men than Women were Maimed or Killed. In 1960 there were 97 Vietnamese Men aged 25-54 for every 100 Vietnamese Women. By 1975 the War between North and South had Reduced that number to 93. Many Survivors find it hard to hold down a Job.

Vietnamese-style Confucianism also plays a part. Combined with Nationalism fostered by War, it helps to Create a feeling that Women have a Moral Duty to make Money. Communist Ideology reinforces this norm. Government Posters exhorting Women to Work show them wearing Hard Hats or Military Uniforms. Supportive Government Policies help, too. Maternity Leave was Increased to Six Months in 2013, High by Regional Standards.

The different Sexes gravitate towards different types of Work. Men tend to take Jobs in Corporations or Organizations that confer Status, whereas Women tend to be more Enterprising. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor looks at, among other Measures, the Sex of New Business Owners across 54 Countries. Vietnam had the Highest Ratio of women to Men: 1.14 to 1. This is partly because Mothers still do most Child Care, so they have to Work flexible Hours.

Businesses owned by Women tend to be Informal. Women make up 55% of the Self-Employed. They typically start a Business just to make ends meet.

Even in the Formal Sector, work is not always smooth. Misogyny is Rife. Many Women complain about the Glass Ceiling, even though Young Vietnamese Women are now better Educated than Men. Wives still do the Bulk of the Housekeeping, too.

But as the Economy shifts from Farming to Manufacturing, Working Women are becoming more Independent. A recent Report from the Mekong Development Research Institute, a Think-Tank, finds that New Roads in the Mekong Delta over the past Decade have made it easier for Women to Work in nearby Textile and Packaging Factories, while their Husbands stay at Home and tend the Family Farm. Women in the Region now earn More than Men, and the Balance of Power between them and their Husbands has shifted. Divorces have become More common and Reported Rates of Domestic Violence have Fallen.

Vietnamese Women’s Labor may at last be beginning to Work for them.