Policies needed to enable women to take advantage of opportunities in the digital age

Ms. Ngo Thi Thu Ha, Director of the Center for Promoting Education and Capacity Building for Women, said that in modern times, women have to face many types of gender-biased information such as raising children, taking care of the family, taking care of beauty or building capacity...

Ngày Quốc tế Phụ nữ 8/3: Phụ nữ trong vòng xoát thông tin mang tính định kiến

Ms. Ngo Thi Thu Ha believes that women are under a lot of pressure in the vortex of prejudiced information. (Photo: NVCC)

The world is increasingly open, with the rise of technology, how do you evaluate the role of Vietnamese women in the digital age?

In any era, directly or indirectly, Vietnamese women play an important role in family building and socio-economic development.

Internationally, and although their numbers are not large, Vietnamese women have held important positions in the fields of economics, politics, foreign affairs, national security and defense, including peacekeeping and promoting people-to-people diplomacy. In any field, diplomacy, economics or culture, our country has outstanding women.

We also have female military and police officers participating in UN peacekeeping forces. In addition, we cannot fail to mention leaders of social organizations who have participated in international forums to speak out for social security issues, combating climate change and protecting the environment.

Besides, a large number of female students studying at home and abroad or female workers in enterprises, agencies and organizations are also directly or indirectly participating in this integration process.

Vietnamese women are increasingly asserting their role and position in the period of international integration?

The open world and technological factors help the integration process take place in a deep and wide way. Vietnam advocates integration in many areas, including gender equality and women's rights protection. Therefore, women have the opportunity to participate in this process but face many challenges from both objective and subjective points.

We often say that this is an uncertain time for the whole world, each country and each individual. We have just gone through the Covid-19 pandemic and witnessed military conflicts between several countries, causing each country, organization, business or individual to recalculate their plans.

In my observation, despite some common difficulties, men are taking advantage of policy, capital and technology opportunities better than women. Vietnam still needs some gender-sensitive policies and resources to create conditions for women to fully develop their potential, take advantage of advantages and avoid risks in the integration process.

Why do I say that? Participation in integration requires at least certain knowledge and skills. In order for people to have this knowledge and skills, the State must issue gender-sensitive policies and allocate a certain amount of resources to implement training programs for women. Furthermore, there must be specific mechanisms for women to access capital and technology, and create forums for women to participate.

While Vietnam has a high rate of female labor force participation compared to other countries in the region, women generally have low skills, leading to low labor productivity, low income, and low capital accumulation. In addition, a large proportion of women still suffer from domestic violence from their partners or have to shoulder unpaid care work with little support from family members. Therefore, women find it difficult to take full advantage of opportunities in the integration process.

But it must be affirmed that the underutilization of opportunities does not come from inherent weaknesses of women. There is a need for specific policies to build capacity, strengthen child and elderly care services or promote the role of men in caring for and nurturing family members.

Are there any criteria for modern women, madam?

I think it is difficult to give general criteria for all women because each person has their own starting point, ability, goals and choices. However, in my opinion, it is necessary to create equal opportunities for women to participate in training programs in different fields, especially in diplomacy, defense, security and high-tech industries in the economy. At the same time, it is necessary to introduce and appoint women to many leadership positions so that more women will participate in the integration process of the country.

On a personal level, an open mind to accept new perspectives and knowledge, tolerance for differences, and a desire to learn are always necessary factors for anyone who wants to participate in the integration process. Accepting challenges and having backup plans and risk management are also important requirements for everyone, including women in the technology era.

The Industrial Revolution 4.0 gives women a lot of information to seek opportunities. (Photo: Thu Ha)

The 4.0 industrial revolution is creating many opportunities for women to develop comprehensively in terms of intelligence, health, and capacity. Surely, in order not to become outdated, women in the technology era must also "renew themselves"?

In fact, the Fourth Industrial Revolution provides women with more information to seek opportunities, build capacity, strengthen networks, and even coordinate work. Modern information technology allows women to expand their sphere of influence at lower costs. Digital transformation also provides women with certain opportunities to better manage their work.

However, the era of integration and technological development, especially information technology, also brings many challenges to women. It is still housework, childcare and working to earn income or participating in social activities, but nowadays, these jobs take up a lot of women's time and mental energy.

In the era of information explosion, if not handled well, multi-dimensional and toxic information itself can negatively affect women's mental health. Women themselves have to face many types of gender-biased information such as raising children, taking care of the family, taking care of beauty or building capacity, developing business, and it is not easy to choose the information channels that are suitable for them.

Not to mention, information at the macro level or laws and policies related to life and work force women to access and process continuously. News and images containing violence or instability in the world also have a significant impact on women.

Therefore, if women can control the information in their computers or phones, it will be very helpful for their lives and work. On the contrary, if they let information control them, it will affect their time, health, and even affect their ability to take advantage of opportunities that come their way.

Can you share some international experiences in promoting women's participation in global integration?

Each country has its own agenda to ensure that women can participate equally in international integration. Some countries have very specific policies to ensure that women participate more in international forums.

For example, by 2022, several countries, including Canada, France, Spain, Sweden, Germany, Mexico, Luxembourg, and Chile, have enacted feminist foreign policies. Libya, the United States, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the United Kingdom are discussing similar policies. Some of these countries have already enacted national action plans on women, peace, and security.

Vietnam has had a number of discussions on developing a national action plan on women, peace and security. I hope that the action plan will be adopted soon to demonstrate Vietnam’s commitment to gender equality and the promotion of women’s rights. This will give women more opportunities to participate in international and regional forums.

Between 2017 and 2022, 14 countries in the Middle East and North Africa enacted a number of reformative laws aimed at increasing women’s participation in the labor market. These reforms include removing restrictions on the recruitment of women, enforcing equal pay, prohibiting gender discrimination in access to credit, and protecting women from sexual harassment in the workplace.

These policy initiatives are closely linked to changes in family law and social security systems and challenges to traditional gender roles, allowing women to participate more fully in the integration process.

Vietnam has had similar policies for many years, but they need to be evaluated and adjusted to suit a medium-sized global economy and its policy of deep economic integration.

Thank you!

Source