HCM City (VNA) – The AustralianConsulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and the Australian Chamber of Commerce(AusCham) organised a seminar on October 22 to seek measures to enhanceeconomic empowerment of women and promote gender equality.

Australian Consul General Julianne Cowley said the empowerment of women andgirls is the Australian Government’s top priority and the main focus ofeconomic ties between Vietnam and Australia. 

Gender equality is crucial to reinforce Vietnam’s economic dynamism and ensureits future prosperity, she said.

The Consul General pointed out that in Vietnam, women earn, on average, 3million VND (129 USD) less than men each year, and the promotion rate amongwomen is half of men’s.

Cowley cited a study by McKinsey Global Institute as saying that equality forwomen would add some 40 billion USD to Vietnam’s gross domestic product (GDP)annually by 2025.

Ton Nu Thi Ninh, President of the Ho Chi Minh City Peace and DevelopmentFoundation, highlighted Vietnamese women’s legal status, saying gender equalityhas been ensured in legal regulations in the country.

Decision-makers from the private sector said businessesthat provide equal career opportunities for men and women create a sustainablecorporate culture, improve employee satisfaction and performance and attractand retain talent.

Ha Thu Thanh, Chairperson of Deloitte Vietnam, said women experience manyobstacles in career development due to pregnancy and responsibility forchildcare and chores in the house.

Women should be ambitious and motivated and get promoted to senior leadershippositions, she said.

Gender equality at work reflects in the mindset of leaders of businesses wheregender equality is an integral part of their strategies, she stressed.

At her company, the proportion of men holding management and leadershippositions is 68 percent, while among staff who have worked for one to three years,women account for 68 percent, she said.   

Businesses need to develop policies to improve gender equality at theworkplace by enhancing leadership and talent among women staff, she said,adding flexible working policies for women should be adopted as part of effortsto improve gender equality.

Huynh Buu Quang, CEO of Maritime Bank, said with women workers accounting for60 percent of employees, gender parity is crucial to the operation anddevelopment of the company.

The development and implementation of gender parity policies at the workplaceincreases competitiveness and creates good corporate culture and attracts andretains talent, he said./.