Speaking at the function, Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, President of the Vietnam Women’s Union, stressed the promotion of gender equality in Vietnam has recorded significant progress in recent years.
Ha revealed that about 26.8 percent of members of the National Assembly are women, adding that Vietnam now has three female members of the Political Bureau and has a chairwoman of the National Assembly for the first time.
    |
 |
|
At the workshop. (Photo: giaoducthoidai.vn) |
Women account for 46.6 percent of university graduates and women make up 48-49 percent of the country’s total workforce, she added.
The official also pointed out shortcomings in the gender equality-related work, including ineffective legal documents, high proportion of female labourers in the unofficial workforce, violence and abuse against women and salary gap between men and women.
Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Craig Chittick said gender equality and women empowerment are an important part of the Vietnam – Australia partnership.
He added that social-economic benefits created by empowered women are huge, and Vietnam is among leading nations in the region in terms of female participation in the workforce and education.
At the workshop, participants heard experts talking about global trends involving gender equality, as well as gender equality and women empowerment in Vietnam.
The event marked the opening of Australia Awards Short Courses in Project Implementation to Optimise Gender Outcomes. The short courses enabled mid-level managers from the Ministries of Transport, Industry and Trade, and Investment and Planning, and the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission, and other key organizations involved in Aus4Reform and Aus4Transport, to promote and implement gender equality in their programmes.
Participants of the courses are set to continue their training in Australia for two weeks after six days trained in Vietnam. They will be equipped with contemporary knowledge, methods and techniques for effectively integrating gender equality considerations throughout the programme management cycle.
Source: VNA