Challenges to Rural Poverty Reduction in Viet Nam - Oxfam Blogs

Participatory poverty monitoring in rural communities in Viet Nam
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TABLE 1.9. Educational qualifications of women aged 18 to 40, 2007-2011 (%)
Commune
Never
went to
school
Not having
completed
primary
school
(first level)
Having
completed
primary
school
(first level)
Having
completed
lower
secondary
school
(second
level)
Having
completed
upper
secondary
school
(third
level)
High
school,
college,
university
2007 2011 2007 2011 2007 2011 2007 2011 2007 2011 2007 2011
Thuan Hoa 17 8 23 18 34 31 21 20 6 21 0 2
Ban Lien 35 35 34 22 20 24 9 17 2 2 0 0
Thanh Xuong 9 6 31 19 12 9 29 37 10 22 9 7
Luong Minh 14 23 59 28 16 26 2 15 7 6 2 2
Duc Huong 0 2 0 0 5 12 41 22 45 54 9 10
Xy 59 39 20 24 7 10 13 12 2 14 0 2
Cu Hue 13 11 25 21 34 25 15 21 9 16 4 7
Phuoc Dai 38 25 22 37 23 22 17 14 0 2 0 0
Phuoc Thanh 49 53 24 24 20 16 7 6 0 2 0 0
Thuan Hoa 4 8 42 36 27 24 18 24 7 6 2 2
Average 25 21 28 23 20 20 17 19 9 14 3 3
SOURCE: Household interviews
Persistent gender stereotypes are an important explanation for low proportion of
women in authority. At most monitoring points, people still think that it is hard for women
to take part in social activities and that men are more effective in leadership positions.
The Committee for the Advancement of Women is not effective. The Committee
for the Advancement of Women is not operational in seven of the ten communes. In
the remaining three communes, the Committee only runs term-end review meetings. Its
activities are considered the responsibility of the commune Women’s Union, and are not
incorporate in other sectors and branches of local government.
Women in local government struggle to make themselves heard. Women deputies
often lack the confidence to contribute to government meetings. The Chairperson of
the Ban Lien commune Women’s Union, Lao Cai province, said she rarely spoke in the
commune Party Executive Committee’s meetings: ‘‘At the meetings, sitting alone with the
men, I feel shy. I never raise my hand to speak and never speak for fear of saying the wrong
thing. I can do everything I am told, but not speak at meetings”. Women also lack respect
because they are minorities in local agencies, and very rarely hold leadership positions.
Only one commune (Phuoc Dai, Nghe an) had a woman as Vice Chair of the Commune
People’s Committee, and one commune (Thuan Hoa -Tra Vinh) has a women as Chair of the
Commune People’s Council and Vice Chair, and only one commune (Thuan Hoa - Tra Vinh)
has a woman as member of the Commune Party Executive Committee as Vice Secretary.
Activities of Women’s Union
Activities of the Women’s Union have seen positive changes in the last five years.
At most monitoring points, membership of the Women’s Union is increasing; Women’s