In Vietnam, gender-based discrimination remains common in privatesector recruitment, though it has been improved in work environments andpromotion opportunities, according to a study by the InternationalLabour Organisation (ILO) and Navigos Search.
The twoorganisations on March 5 released a policy brief titled Gender Equalityin Recruitment and Promotion Practices in Vietnam, which comes fromtheir latest study.
One in five out of 12,300 job postings in thecountry's four largest job portals – Vietnamworks, JobStreet,CareerBuilder and CareerLink – between mid-November 2014 and mid-January2015 included gender requirements. Among them, 70 percent requestedthat the positions be filled by men, while 30 percent wanted femaleapplicants.
Men were most often targeted for more technical,highly skilled jobs or jobs that require more outdoor activities, suchas architects, drivers, engineers and IT professionals.
Meanwhile,women were often preferred for office and support work – positions likereceptionists, secretaries, accountants, human resources management andgeneral affairs.
"Job advertisements should avoid any mention ofgender, as this represents a direct form of gender-baseddiscrimination, and such ‘glass walls' will result in gender segregationby occupation and job function," ILO Vietnam Director Gyorgy Sziraczkisaid.
"This will limit the ability of businesses to fully benefit from the talent of newly recruited employers,” Sziraczki added.
Byadvertising gender preference, women's and men's access to certaintypes of jobs is restricted, thereby depriving them of importantopportunities in the labour market.
Gender segregation in the jobmarketplace was also shown in advertisements for managerial positions.Up to 83 percent of management job postings with gender preferencerequired male applicants. Significantly, all of the director posts wereexclusively for men.
As part of the study, a survey of employersin the private sector in January revealed that apart from academicqualifications and work experience – the two most important factors inrecruiting decisions – two thirds of employers ask questions about theapplicants' availability to work outside of normal working hours.
Upto 43 percent of employers sought to discover applicants' maritalstatus and 30 per cent tried to find out their future plans to havechildren.
Only 60 percent of the employers interviewed countedmaternity leave as part of the length of service as required by thelaws. With the length of service being the second most important factorwhen employers make promotion decisions, this represents a significantdisadvantage for women looking to advance their careers.-VNA
The twoorganisations on March 5 released a policy brief titled Gender Equalityin Recruitment and Promotion Practices in Vietnam, which comes fromtheir latest study.
One in five out of 12,300 job postings in thecountry's four largest job portals – Vietnamworks, JobStreet,CareerBuilder and CareerLink – between mid-November 2014 and mid-January2015 included gender requirements. Among them, 70 percent requestedthat the positions be filled by men, while 30 percent wanted femaleapplicants.
Men were most often targeted for more technical,highly skilled jobs or jobs that require more outdoor activities, suchas architects, drivers, engineers and IT professionals.
Meanwhile,women were often preferred for office and support work – positions likereceptionists, secretaries, accountants, human resources management andgeneral affairs.
"Job advertisements should avoid any mention ofgender, as this represents a direct form of gender-baseddiscrimination, and such ‘glass walls' will result in gender segregationby occupation and job function," ILO Vietnam Director Gyorgy Sziraczkisaid.
"This will limit the ability of businesses to fully benefit from the talent of newly recruited employers,” Sziraczki added.
Byadvertising gender preference, women's and men's access to certaintypes of jobs is restricted, thereby depriving them of importantopportunities in the labour market.
Gender segregation in the jobmarketplace was also shown in advertisements for managerial positions.Up to 83 percent of management job postings with gender preferencerequired male applicants. Significantly, all of the director posts wereexclusively for men.
As part of the study, a survey of employersin the private sector in January revealed that apart from academicqualifications and work experience – the two most important factors inrecruiting decisions – two thirds of employers ask questions about theapplicants' availability to work outside of normal working hours.
Upto 43 percent of employers sought to discover applicants' maritalstatus and 30 per cent tried to find out their future plans to havechildren.
Only 60 percent of the employers interviewed countedmaternity leave as part of the length of service as required by thelaws. With the length of service being the second most important factorwhen employers make promotion decisions, this represents a significantdisadvantage for women looking to advance their careers.-VNA
