Only 46.9 percent of rural women have full-time employment while theremainder do casual jobs, such as housework and farming, Institute ofLabour Science and Social Affairs director Nguyen Thi Lan Huong saidon Mar. 7.
Huong was speaking at a meeting in Hanoi ,held in response to the 56th Commission on the Status of Women – "Theempowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hungereradication".
Women in rural areas do not have stable jobsbecause they have not received vocational training. As many as 92percent of them do not have any skills at all and only 1.4 percentgraduated from university, said Huong.
The average wage ofa female rural labour is 1.9 million VND (90 USD) per month, which isonly 72.7 percent of the average wage of female urban labourers.
About 10 percent of them have an average income of 350,000 VND (16.60 USD) per month.
"Because of their hard lives, rural women, especially the poor, oftenhad to encounter risks, illness and disease," Huong said.
The most of rural women are overworked as they have to shoulder both production and reproduction at the same time.
The consequences are that not only their health fails, but it alsoinfluences their pregnancy and maternal functions, which affects thenext generation.
"Women also struck several obstacles to accessing social security benefits," Huong said.
The barriers are their constraints in awareness and knowledge, genderinequality among rural people, inferiority complexes – more noticeableamong the poor and disabled women – and a slowness to adapt to socialchange.
To improve social security for rural women, theMinistry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs will pilot anemployment market information system at commune level through theinternet, commune cultural houses and central and local radio andtelevision programmes, including those broadcast in ethnic minoritylanguages, said Huong.
It will also organise temporaryemployment programmes for unemployed or under-employed women in ruralareas and focus on health care for children and pregnant women,especially ethnic minorities and those in remote areas.
Support policies for the 2011-15 period will also be introduced, andcover part of voluntary insurance premiums for poor women, she said.
Meanwhile, United Nations resident co-ordinator Pratibha Mehta saidimproving rural women's lives is a key priority of the UN country teamin Vietnam .
"Our efforts include working with theVietnam Women's Union to empower women to cope with natural disastersand increase the role of women in disaster risk reduction andmanagement," she said.
Over the next five years, the UNwill invest around 40 million USD in gender equality and women'sempowerment programmes, double what it spent from 2006-11, Pratibhasaid.-VNA
Huong was speaking at a meeting in Hanoi ,held in response to the 56th Commission on the Status of Women – "Theempowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hungereradication".
Women in rural areas do not have stable jobsbecause they have not received vocational training. As many as 92percent of them do not have any skills at all and only 1.4 percentgraduated from university, said Huong.
The average wage ofa female rural labour is 1.9 million VND (90 USD) per month, which isonly 72.7 percent of the average wage of female urban labourers.
About 10 percent of them have an average income of 350,000 VND (16.60 USD) per month.
"Because of their hard lives, rural women, especially the poor, oftenhad to encounter risks, illness and disease," Huong said.
The most of rural women are overworked as they have to shoulder both production and reproduction at the same time.
The consequences are that not only their health fails, but it alsoinfluences their pregnancy and maternal functions, which affects thenext generation.
"Women also struck several obstacles to accessing social security benefits," Huong said.
The barriers are their constraints in awareness and knowledge, genderinequality among rural people, inferiority complexes – more noticeableamong the poor and disabled women – and a slowness to adapt to socialchange.
To improve social security for rural women, theMinistry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs will pilot anemployment market information system at commune level through theinternet, commune cultural houses and central and local radio andtelevision programmes, including those broadcast in ethnic minoritylanguages, said Huong.
It will also organise temporaryemployment programmes for unemployed or under-employed women in ruralareas and focus on health care for children and pregnant women,especially ethnic minorities and those in remote areas.
Support policies for the 2011-15 period will also be introduced, andcover part of voluntary insurance premiums for poor women, she said.
Meanwhile, United Nations resident co-ordinator Pratibha Mehta saidimproving rural women's lives is a key priority of the UN country teamin Vietnam .
"Our efforts include working with theVietnam Women's Union to empower women to cope with natural disastersand increase the role of women in disaster risk reduction andmanagement," she said.
Over the next five years, the UNwill invest around 40 million USD in gender equality and women'sempowerment programmes, double what it spent from 2006-11, Pratibhasaid.-VNA
