Gender equality and women's empowerment have made remarkable progress.

From the perspective of a psychology and education expert, Professor Dr. Huynh Van Son, Principal of Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, believes that in the current new context, Vietnamese people have a more positive view of gender and gender equality, and women have affirmed their position, capacity, and influence on others as well as society.

Professor Dr. Huynh Van Son believes that Vietnamese people have a more positive view of gender equality. (Photo: NVCC)

Many changes in gender equality

As an expert in education and psychology, how do you view gender equality in our country in the new situation?

In the current new context, Vietnamese people have a more positive view of gender and gender equality. Gender discrimination, or the ideas of “male superiority over female”, “patriarchal male power”… have more or less changed compared to before. This is a testament to the progress in community change as well as the effectiveness of communication in raising awareness of gender equality in Vietnam in recent years, especially the self-change of people.

Women have affirmed their position, capacity, influence on others as well as society and people have gradually become positive in their awareness and perspective on life. Women have been present and demonstrated their valuable roles, responsibilities and contributions in all areas of social life, on many different levels, from senior leaders to management positions.

According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2022 published by the World Economic Forum in July 2022, Vietnam's gender equality ranking in 2022 was 83/146 countries, up 4 places compared to 2021 (ranked 87/144 countries), in which, indicators on women's empowerment, health and education have made remarkable progress. How do you evaluate these numbers?

These figures clearly demonstrate the development of awareness and concrete actions of the entire Vietnamese society towards building a better, more equal society. In which, the role and attention for women is a highlight, meaning that gender equality has changed significantly.

According to this data, it can be seen that women today have received more attention in education development. They go to school, are trained, and many have even taken on very important positions, have very high degrees and titles, and are excellent in all fields.

However, there are many issues that need to be considered here to avoid subjectivity. From a certain perspective, women's empowerment, health and education have made clear progress in this area in general, not to mention personal or family issues.

In addition, it is also necessary to understand correctly the concept of "world advantage" because in some aspects, women have advantages, even strengths in some fields. Of course, men are the same, so choosing a career or job needs to ensure these requirements in a flexible and effective way.

It should be acknowledged that there have been significant advances in women’s empowerment, health and education. This is a manifestation of changes in gender equality in practice and in terms of effectiveness. That is, women have demonstrated success in fulfilling their duties.

According to the United Nations, gender equality means that women and men enjoy the same conditions to fully exercise their human rights and have the opportunity to contribute to and benefit from the development of society in general. So how does gender inequality occur in our country?

Gender inequality is a hidden problem in the consciousness and lifestyle of many families, in each person. Moreover, this is not a problem of an individual or a group but a common story of society. Although awareness and actions to reduce gender inequality have improved compared to before, it is difficult to erase all traces because of the "remnants" of traditional Confucian ideology left in the thinking of many Vietnamese families.

The idea of having a son, the idea that a son is strong and responsible, a son takes care of the family, the village, and gives the house, land, and property to the son. In addition, the patriarchal lifestyle, where men are the head of the family, and men are the pride of the family, still exists somewhere in families. This is an undeniable reality and must be gradually recognized, adjusted, and detected in a timely manner, and positively impacted to build a more gender-equal family, creating the foundation for a truly and sustainably gender-equal society.

It is difficult to assess the current state of gender equality in our country without widely published data on a convincing scale, but we can mention the following manifestations from a general perspective.

That is, gender equality education in schools has been improved, many research projects and applications of psychology, pedagogy, and sociology in gender equality-based violence prevention education have been brought into schools and implemented in many forms.

The innovation of educational programs, with the focus on teaching materials, has focused more on gender balance appearing in every page of textbooks and has been actively implemented. Social networks and media have appeared more topics related to gender, gender equality, and reality TV shows about gender are increasingly recognized and supported by society.

In particular, the views of young people in work and personal development today no longer prioritize early marriage to maintain the family line, but they focus more on a lifestyle focused on reality, even the age of marriage tends to be older.

Universities and colleges that previously offered male-only courses are now enrolling female students, and the number of female students is increasing significantly. The image of success in careers that were once considered exclusively male is gradually changing.

Even gender views have begun to open up, not only men and women but LGBT are also recognized in many levels and forms, making gender issues change in a positive direction.

GS. TS. Huỳnh Văn Sơn: Bình đẳng giới thời số hóa

Gender equality is a fundamental human right, not a product of social stereotypes. (Source: SK&DS)

To avoid "derailment"

So what communication solutions are needed to avoid "derailment" in gender equality?

To avoid cases of “derailment” in gender equality in the media, it is necessary to clearly understand that the current connotation of gender equality is not limited to the framework of “men” and “women” but is much more gender-diverse. At the same time, gender equality tends to be digitalized, internationalized, and globalized. Moreover, gender equality is a basic human right, not a product of social stereotypes.

When discussing gender equality and issues related to gender inequality, the participation of social networks and transnational thinking on this issue is necessary for reference. From there, we can make statements that are on point, without creating or exaggerating the issue. Gender equality is not only a manifestation of civilization but also the responsibility of each individual and community.

In our country, the idea that “men must be the pillars of the family” is a pressure on men. Should we avoid incorrect thinking about gender equality to build a truly equal society?

When someone is considered the breadwinner of the family, they are under invisible pressure, obliged to take care of, look after, and even shoulder the responsibilities of the family (responsibility to maintain the family line, professional responsibility, responsibility to build a home, etc.). But in reality, not every man can fulfill this responsibility.

In the current context, this view is no longer appropriate. Because in a modern society, both men and women have an independent life and develop according to their own lifestyle.

It should be noted that as long as we are aware of what is an outdated, gender-discriminatory ideology and what is a suitable, gender-equal ideology, then each person will easily choose on the path of searching for and fighting for their own happiness.

We promote gender equality not only for women but also for men; promoting gender equality is not about leveling the genders, but about promoting the strengths of each gender. What do you think about this point of view?

I agree with this point of view and would like to expand the concept of gender here not only within the framework of men and women, but also more diverse gender colors in modern social life.

Everyone has the right to live happily based on their own choices. Regardless of which gender orientation we choose to live by, as long as we are aware of our strengths, live a good life, live and work to create values, and spread these values to the next generation. That is both the responsibility and obligation of every citizen regardless of gender.

In particular, promoting the strengths of each gender is also understood as promoting balance in thinking, education and use of human resources, aiming to build a democratic, fair, civilized and modern society. We have the right to be happy with the choice to live a meaningful life according to ourselves.

Thank you very much!

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