English - CEDAW Southeast Asia

A Gendered and Rights-Based Review of Vietnamese Legal Documents through the Lens of CEDAW
equivalent), and only 9 percent of Deputy Ministers (or its equivalent), were women. 359 Further,
only 6 percent of Department Directors (or its equivalent), only 14 percent of Deputy
Department Directors (or its equivalent), and only 33 percent of Deputy Division Directors (or
its equivalent), were women. In 1992-2002, there was very little progress on women’s leadership
at the central executive level. 360 There is one female Minister out of 22 Ministers in the current
Government.
The situation at the local level is not very promising as well. From 1999 to 2004, the percentage
of female Chairpersons and Vice Chairpersons in People’s Committees at the commune,
district and province levels was 2.72 percent, 6.85 percent and 7.07 percent respectively.
In 2004-2009, there is an improvement in female representation for the same positions to
8.94 percent, 12.20 percent and 9.60 percent respectively. In State-owned enterprises, only 4
percent of General Directors or Deputy General Directors were women. 361
By contrast, women account for 68.70 percent of civil servants. 362 A survey of civil servants
in MARD found several factors constraining the promotion of women including: (a) male
leaders do not believe in the capacity of female staff and their available time for duties in higher
positions; (b) a lack of motivation and inferiority complex of women; (c) many women do
not want to be promoted to avoid disagreements with husbands and trouble in family life; and
(d) the lower promotion age for women (age 50 years compared to age 55 years for men) and
early retirement age (age 55 years compared to age 60 years for men 363 ) restricts the pool of
women suitable for promotion. 364 Reforms of the public administration system are currently
underway in line with the Public Administration Reform Master Programme 2001-2010. A
review of the Overall Program on State Administrative Reform in the 2001-2010 - under
Decision No. 136/2001/QD–TTG of September 7, 2001 Approving the Overall Programme on
State Administrative Reform the 2001-2010 period - shows that gender is not integrated, systematically
and consciously, into the Overall Programme on State Administrative Reform; for
example, downsizing, which can reduce inefficiencies in public administration, but impact disproportionately
on women as they often have more difficulty finding a new job. 365 In reviewing
the participation of women in public administration, measures must be in place to address
obstacles to women’s participation in public administration as well as their ability to access
leadership positions.
One of the guarantees that must be in place is freedom from sexual harassment. There
are almost no studies on this in Viet Nam. However, comparative situations from other coun-
359
GSO Statistics, p. 68
181
360
Party Organization Commission, ‘Improving Female Cadres’ Capacity for Leadership in the Political System’, National
Political Publishing House, Ha Noi, 2007 (Party Organization Commission), p. 335. In Reports from the Communist
Party of Viet Nam show that in 1994-1999 the percentage of women Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Department Directors
and Deputy Department Directors was 11.9 percent, 7.3 percent, 13.0 percent, 12.1 percent and 4.0 percent respectively.
In 1999-2004, the figures were 12.5 percent, 12.85 percent, 12.1 percent and 8.10 percent respectively (World
Bank Assessment, p. 33). For other statistics on this, although more dated, see Viet Nam Women’s Union, ‘Proceeding
of the 9th National Congress of the Vietnamese Women’, Women’s Publishing House, Ha Noi, 2002.
361
Party Organization Commission, p. 336. See also, Wells, op. cit., p. 55, for earlier data.
362
Combined Fifth and Sixth Periodic Report, p. 24
363
See Indicator 77
364
Wells, op.cit., p. 55
365
Ibid., p. 57
Political and public life (Articles 7 and 8 of CEDAW)