Women in Vietnam
Young Vietnamese women in aodai during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 2006 event.
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| Gender Inequality Index | |
|---|---|
| Value | 0.299 (2012) |
| Rank | 48th |
| Maternal mortality (per 100,000) | 59 (2010) |
| Women in parliament | 24.4% (2012) |
| Females over 25 with secondary education | 24.7% (2010) |
| Women in labour force | 73.2% (2011) |
| Global Gender Gap Index | |
| Value | 0.6863 (2013) |
| Rank | 73rd out of 144 |
The role of women in Vietnam was subject to many changes throughout the history of Vietnam. They have taken on varying roles in society, including warriors, nurses, mothers and wives. There have been many advances in women's rights in Vietnam, such as an increase in women representation in government, as well as the creation of the Vietnam Women's Union in 1930.
Many scholars state that Vietnam was a dominantly matriarchal society prior to Chinese rule, which brought in Confucian patriarchal values. Although Chinese rule for the most part ended before the 2nd century, most of the Chinese values and institutions were continued by following Vietnamese dynasties. During the 19th century, Vietnam was dominated by French rule. Many women were temporarily married to European men during this period, with both parties seeing the union as mutually beneficial.
In the early 20th century, nationalist sentiments rose in Vietnam that eventually lead to the end of French rule in 1954 and divided Vietnam into two along the seventeenth parallel. There have been many accounts that nationalism increased women's rights with it, and many women participated in the revolution against French rule.
The role of women in warfare and outside the home continued to increase throughout the 20th century, especially during the Indochina Wars. During and after the Vietnam War, the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam made efforts to increase women's rights, equity, and representation in government. This included the creation of job quotas during the 1960s, which required that women occupy a certain percentage of jobs in different sectors.
Women's rights have continued to increase in contemporary Vietnam, and women have increasingly held leadership positions. Currently, Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh is the Vice President of Vietnam, a position she has held since April 2016. Additionally, Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân was elected as Chairwoman of the National Assembly of Vietnam in March 2016, the first time a woman has ever held the position. However, there is still an influence of gender roles and cultural influence in Vietnam today, which persists both inside the domestic home as well as outside in the socioeconomic sphere.
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