Boosting gender equality in new-style rural area development

In Viet Nam, just like in the developing world in general, women continue to form a large majority of the working poor, earn less income, and are more often affected by under- and un-employment and precarious working conditions than men.

Women in Viet Nam are principally found in lower paid occupational sectors or in vulnerable employment.

The majority of women work as unpaid family workers, and in largely "invisible" areas of informal employment as migrant domestic workers, homeworkers, street vendors and in the entertainment industry.

Women's position in the labour market is largely affected by socio-economic disadvantages caused by gender-based discrimination.

Vietnamese women often have less access to productive resources, education, and skills development and labour market opportunities than men.

In great part, this is because society assigns both a lower status and most of the unpaid care work to Vietnamese women, and expects them to engage in productive work in subsistence agriculture and the market economy.

While the profile of Vietnamese businesswomen has been raised significantly in recent years with the emergence of leaders in certain sectors, budding women entrepreneurs still have to fight with one hand tied behind their backs.

women still experienced very limited access to credit and technology despite contributing significantly to national growth.

women have to play in boosting business start-ups in the country.

Women-led enterprises and households have greatly contributed to economic development, been a significant income source and created millions of jobs

More and more Vietnamese women entrepreneurs have been ranked among the most powerful women in Asia by prestigious international organisations

women faced major challenges including gender norms, limited access to resources and markets because of insufficient collateral as well as lack of skills and knowledge of corporate governance, finance and marketing.

The proportion of women-led large enterprises has gradually decreased and the number of women-led science and technology businesses is still limited.

While the Government has promulgated numerous incentive policies to support women in business, implementation has been weak and lacked necessary guidance

Women play a crucial part in reducing poverty and advancing human evelopment. Through a variety of roles - family caregivers, agricultural producers and wage earners - women have a positive impact that not only
sustains their households but also benefits their overall societies.

In recent years, there has been greater awareness of yet another way
through which women power economic growth - entrepreneurship.

Throughout the world, the number and influence of women-owned and womenmanaged enterprises is increasing.

In Vietnam, there are several reasons to be optimistic about women's entrepreneurship.

there is no reason to doubt that women in Vietnam will increasingly have greater opportunities not only to share in but also to create prosperity.

Despite the difficulties confronting them, Vietnamese women entrepreneurs
demonstrate an extraordinary ability to survive, adapt and prosper.