Care Economy: Solutions to promote gender equality and economic empowerment for Vietnamese women

Women do 2.5 times more unpaid care work than men

According to the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council, women around the world shoulder a greater burden of unpaid care work than men. In the Asia-Pacific region, women do, on average, 2.5 times more unpaid care work than men. Vietnamese women spend nearly twice as much time on housework as men.

Caregiving responsibilities are one of the main reasons for women’s limited participation in the labour market. Lack of care services forces women to take up precarious, unstable jobs or even to quit their jobs. In addition, paid care work is often undertaken by women, most of whom are migrants, with poor working conditions, low wages and limited social and labour protection.

Considering women’s contribution to all forms of care, women contribute $11 trillion to the global economy. Yet women and girls continue to be disadvantaged by the undervaluation of care work and underinvestment in care services, setting us back on our progress towards gender equality.

The care economy is not only the economic sector related to the provision of care services (paid and unpaid) to people including children, women, the elderly, the sick, the disabled... but also plays an important role in maintaining the functioning of society.

Delegates discuss the importance of care economics

Investing in the care economy drives growth and sustainable development

Recognizing the importance of the care economy, the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council (VWEC) under the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) in collaboration with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), with the support of the Inter-Pacific Import-Export Company Limited (IPPG) and Vietnam Airlines Corporation (Vietnam Airlines) organized the Workshop "Investing in the Care Economy: Solutions to Promote Gender Equality and Sustainable Growth" on March 20, in Ho Chi Minh City.

The workshop attracted the participation of nearly 130 delegates representing Consulates of several countries in Ho Chi Minh City, business associations, women entrepreneurs associations, businesses, and women entrepreneurs in the Southern region.

This is an opportunity for delegates to discuss the care economy, the importance of the care economy; businesses that practice family-friendly care policies well, businesses that provide quality care services, comply with labor laws and gender equality and are accessible to customers; towards building a gender-responsive care economy in Vietnam.

Sharing about the importance of investing in the care economy, Mr. Vo Tan Thanh, Vice President of VCCI emphasized: "The unbalanced distribution of care responsibilities between men and women is creating major barriers to women's participation and career development. Investing in the care economy not only benefits women but is also an important economic strategy to promote growth and sustainable development".

Focus on protecting mental health for female entrepreneurs