Joint actions needed to obtain substantive gender equality in politics: seminar

Vietnam has had a relatively complete legal framework for ensuring women’s rights in all fields, particularly politics, but heads of all-level authorities, sectors, and the entire political system must take joint actions to achieve substantive gender equality, heard a seminar in Can Tho city on March 7.

Nguyen Thi Dieu Hien, Chairwoman of the public employees’ trade union under the Can Tho Federation of Labour, said the national political system, including in Can Tho, has made strong efforts to promote women’s participation in the leadership at all levels.

However, the rate of female leaders in Vietnam in general, and in Can Tho in particular, remains low, at about 30 percent, she said, expressing her regret at this fact in comparison with women’s progress nowadays.

Other delegates to the event pointed out the subjective and objective causes of women’s modest engagement in management positions, including unit leaders’ biased assessment when nominating and assigning tasks to female workers, as well as heavy family responsibilities that made women miss many chances of learning and dedicating to their jobs.

Tran Thanh Hien, head of the Party building faculty at the Can Tho School of Politics, held that to promote gender equality in politics, it is necessary to concurrently carry out several groups of measures.

In particular, leaders should align their units’ regulations to the Party’s resolutions and the State’s policies and laws on female personnel affairs; issue detailed, scientific, and appropriate targets in terms of gender-related personnel; and organise frequent training in gender equality for the persons in charge of personnel affairs, she noted.