Following a series of activities on gender equality, under “Strengthening People’s Credit Fund” project (STEP), on November 23 and 24, two online seminars were organized on “Gender inequality at the workplace: Challenges and solutions from men’s perspective” with the participation of 12 Co-opBank branches and 50 PCFs. Dr. Khuat Thu Hong – Director of the Institute for Social Development Research was the main speaker of the seminars.
Speaking at the opening of the seminars, Global Affairs of Canada (GAC)‘s representative Ms. Le Thi Mai Huong highlighted that the current Canadian government’s policy has always paid attention and given priority to women and young girls. Therefore, gender equality activities are always welcomed and appreciated by the GAC. The seminar is an opportunity for better understanding of men’s perspectives on the issue of inequality between men and women. It is also an opportunity for Co-opBank and PCFs to learn and address questions to the experts on gender equality.
According to Dr. Khuat Thu Hong, from 2016 to 2021, Vietnam’s global ranking in two gender indicators showed that there were still many issues that should be addressed in order to improve gender equality in Vietnam. Although women’s economic participation opportunities has increased (from 33rd in 2016 to 26th in 2021), other indicators include health and women leadership were still low compared to other countries.
Meanwhile, men have traditionally been given priority and privileges which have been accompanied by heavy pressure such as being the breadwinner of the family, having a successful career…Men often have the prejudice to not believe in women’s ability since they consider women’s natural function is to stay at home and take care of the family, and it is acceptable for women to sacrifice their dreams for the sake of their families. Socio-family studies have shown that not only men but even many women themselves think that they must always prioritize family over their career. Therefore, gender equality can only be achieved with the awareness and co-operation of both women and men and both genders should be considered as two sides of an equation.
According to Dr. Hong, gender equality can be divided into 3 categories which are formal equality, protective equality and substantive equality. Based on this division, a number of suggestions for promoting gender equality at the workplace were given such as: enabling women to have an equal access to opportunities; scientifically planning business leadership with the participation of both men and women; eliminating traditional gender perceptions in recruitment and promotion; Tighten the gap in payment between men and women; Elimination of prejudice about women’s ability… Gender equality will help to improve labor efficiency as well as attract and retain talent and increase the reputation of enterprises.
In the discussion at the end of the workshop, participants from Co-opBank branches and PCFs shared their personal views on gender equality in the family and social environment and discussed possible solutions for gender inequality elimination.
