Enhancing the status of women in the public sector

International Women's Day on March 8 is an opportunity for us to look back at the achievements and barriers that remain on the path to achieving gender equality, especially in the field of public administration.

UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam Ramla Khalidi (left) and Australian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Sarah Hooper. (Source: UNDP)

Women’s leadership in the public sector is key to promoting inclusive and effective governance. Women bring unique perspectives, experiences and skills that improve decision-making processes.

The Vietnamese Constitution states that women have equal rights with men in all areas of life, including political, economic, cultural, social and family life. This commitment is consistent with Sustainable Development Goal 5, which emphasizes gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.

Despite these commendable efforts, there remains a significant gap between men and women in senior government leadership positions. It is time to take decisive action to “invest in women and accelerate progress” towards gender equality in government agencies, including the provinces.

Over the past decade, more than 40% of officials in Vietnam’s ministries and agencies have been women, and some ministries even have more female officials than men, but only about 21% of agencies are led by women. Invisible barriers, including long-standing gender stereotypes, continue to prevent women from accessing opportunities on par with men.

As a result, women are often in lower-level positions where they have less influence on policy-making and decision-making than men. This is particularly evident in key sectors such as industry, agriculture, transport, security and defence.

Women face even more difficulties in participating in local decision-making. According to research conducted jointly by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Australian Government and Ireland, the proportion of women representing local political activities is very low, especially in village leadership positions.

Of the 832 villages surveyed, only 199 (less than 24%) had female leaders. While this is a significant increase from 12% in 2019, there is still a long way to go.

Addressing these challenges requires concrete steps to help women succeed. Vietnam’s National Strategy on Gender Equality for the 2021-2030 period sets a target for the number of women in leadership positions. The strategy aims for 60% of state agencies and local governments at all levels to have women as key leaders by 2025. By 2030, this figure is expected to increase to 75%. Meanwhile, the 2015 Election Law sets a target of 35% of National Assembly and People’s Council deputies at all levels to be women.

To achieve these important goals, Vietnam needs to address the obstacles that prevent women from advancing in their public sector careers. This includes changing attitudes about leadership, so that women are trusted, supported and, where appropriate, elected to key positions.

In addition, the burden of family responsibilities on women needs to be reduced, which limits the time they can devote to their careers. Implementing flexible working hours, allowing work from home and implementing adequate social assistance programs, including child care, can help to overcome these problems.

Course "Journey to support women in leadership roles". (Source: VGP)

It is also important to help women learn new skills and meet people who can support them in their careers. We have partnered with the Vietnam Women’s Union to establish women’s leadership networks and build the capacity of elected women leaders in six provinces. These groups build women’s leadership capacity through training programs, peer learning opportunities, and opportunities for women to meet and build new professional relationships.

We have also partnered with the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics to design the “Journey to Support Women in Leadership” and “Young Women Preparing for Leadership” programs. These programs help female leaders and potential women to build their capacity by connecting them with people they can learn from and collaborate with.

Improve the legal framework on gender equality and establish mechanisms to monitor and evaluate the implementation of gender equality goals in state administration, including developing gender equality implementation strategies in specific sectors or provinces, such as the Women's Leadership Index that Australia is supporting the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics to develop.

Finally, it is important to ensure that everyone is aware of the importance of treating men and women equally, including eliminating gender stereotypes and developing codes of conduct to prevent sexual harassment.

On International Women’s Day, let’s work together to break down the stereotypes that are holding back progress towards gender equality in public administration. By “investing in women: accelerating progress”, we can not only unleash the potential of half of the population, but also build a more inclusive and equitable society for all.

Make sure every woman has the opportunity to be a leader and succeed!

There is a need to change attitudes towards leadership so that women are trusted, supported and, when necessary, elected to important positions. (Source: UNDP)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/huong-toi-binh-dang-gioi-nang-cao-vi-the-phu-nu-trong-khu-vuc-cong-263270.html