Gender equality needs society's attention

"Vietnam has built a strong legal framework but its biggest challenge now is how to put these laws into effect," Froniga Greig, an United Nations gender expert, said at a recent symposium o­n gender equality organised by the UN Development Programme and the National Committee for the Advancement of Women.

In doing so, it is crucial to clarify the role of State agencies in charge of gender equality, Greig said.

For Ian Howie, President of the UN working group o­n gender and Representative of the UN Population Fund in Vietnam, Vietnam needs to focus o­n raising public awareness about gender equality.

Howie said that the UN agencies and the Vietnamese government are working o­n a joint programme o­n gender equality for the 2007-2010 period.

One of the focuses of the joint programme is to use of the mass media to change behaviour as well as attitudes towards gender equality right at offices, governmental agencies and at all levels of society in general, the UN official added.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoa, Vice President of the Vietnam Women's Union, admitted that the country is still struggling against age-old chauvenistic view of males outweighing females.

"Legal systems and policies cannot change people's concepts overnight," Hoa said, adding "awareness of people, especially women, of the rights of women, is still limited due to the weak dissemination of information regarding the issue in rural and remote areas."

Recognising its weaknesses, Vietnam will work to increase education o­n gender equality and laws and policies concerning women, particularly in rural and remote areas, together with employing legal activities to assist women who are victims of gender discrimination, Hoa said.

She also argued that every woman should also make efforts to use her abilities to obtain social equality.

Nguyen Thi Hoai Thu, Chairwoman of the National Assembly's Committee for Social Affairs, restated that social equality and progress can o­nly be achieved when women stand next to men in all social activities.

According to the Vietnam Women's Union, women make up more than 50% of the population and the workforce. They account for 27% of the National Assembly deputies, which is the highest rate in Asia.

The percentage of female university graduates is 36.24% and the percentage of female journalists is 30%.