WOMEN AT WORK IN VIETNAM

BY E.J.PROCTOR

I was asked to do an article with my thoughts and experience as a foreigner to the state of women in the workforce in Viet Nam and I think, to talk a little about my experiences outside of VN. Before, I begin, I would like to say that my comments, thoughts, and beliefs are my own, and do not necessarily reflect the company or companies I have worked for and you may agree or disagree with them yourself. We are all entitled to our own opinions !!  I think that in order to do justice to the questions, I should express some of my own beliefs and thoughts first.

1.I believe that men and women are DIFFERENT, and that is the way that God created us. (Read Women are from Venus, Men are from Mars)

2.I think that if women were the world leaders, we WOULD NOT be thinking of war or aggression the way it is today.  We WOULD be thinking more of collaboration and peace.

3.I think that because women and men are different, we should be focusing on leveraging the differences NOT trying to make us the same.

4.I think regardless of sex, race, religion etc. we should ALL be on a level playing surface, and given the same opportunities based on results and performance.

5.I feel that for some reasons, Vietnamese seem to think that foreigners are smarter and have all the answers, but they are wrong. There is an equal percentage of talented people in VN as there is anywhere else in the world and they way to bring them to the forefront is to utilize them.

It took hundreds of years to create a work environment, where the employees were treated like people, it will take substantially less time to equal the opportunities for women in leadership positions, however, it will take some time. That time, will be a result of changes in the home, education in the schools,  changes in our thought processes, and the efforts of business to do what is right for the business. My own personal opinion, is that it SHOULD NOT, be done through quotas or measurement systems which I believe lead to resentment and poor working relations between men and women.  I have never in my experience seen anything that would confirm that one sex is smarter than the other, therefore, we all should have the same capabilities.  Also, we should not worry that a lot of women do not want to fix cars and motor bikes and that a lot of men do not want to be secretaries, we should be focusing on the level of aptitude required for these positions and not the activity. Why force a woman to be a mechanic and a man to be a secretary if they don’t want to.  We should only be looking at those positions that both sexes want to do. I think this is in the field of leadership, management, medicine, and high skilled positions where the focus is on thinking and not so much on the physical activity.

When I worked in Canada, I saw women being promoted based on quotas and company directives, as opposed to promotion based on contribution. The percentage of women employees was much less women than men, but more got promoted and this caused a great amount of “under the table” dissatisfaction with the men in the organization. The way to equalize all of this, is to have an equal number of men and women in the organization at the first level, and let it evolve over time, making sure that the upper levels drive promotion through performance and contribution and not gender. I have worked with, for and been a manager of women, and I have also worked for men much younger than myself, and it really does not matter at all as long as you feel the person you are working for is good at what they do. I worked for a woman Project Engineer in V.N. who was exceptional at her job, although I continually felt like she was trying to prove something to me, and she didn’t have to.  I have two daughters and a son, and the only thing that I directed them to do for a career, was to seek a field where there was opportunities, and align their education with their interests and those opportunities.  My eldest daughter chose to be a dental hygienist, which is traditionally a “womans job”, should I have directed her different… NO! She is very happy in her career, and also the highest income earner of the three. What more could a parent or their child ask for. 

As I said earlier, women are equally as intelligent as men, therefore, their ability and competency will be the same, the only thing left to do, is to change the demographics of today. The starting point for all of this continues to be, graduating students from our schools and universities which career plan into non traditional education. For example, there should be an equal number of men and women in Engineering, Sciences, Law, Medicine etc. , and I BELIEVE, that the return would be an equal number of men and women entering those careers and over time, an equal number being promoted. You do not start a process like this at the top and work your way down !!

What Vietnamese women today should improve or learn, is that nothing is out of your reach. Improve your position in the work force not by “burning your bra”, but through setting personal goals, excelling in education, learning communication skills, leadership skills, problem solving and decision making skills, and team work. The question is “ Why would I have to do all this and maybe a man does not”.  The reason is “If you want the system to change, and if you do it now, you will see gradual change, and it will happen sooner than later.” All positive changes in the past have come with some sacrifice and hard work by someone, and overall, there is the feeling of self-satisfaction, which is probably the greatest reward. 

I was asked to comment on examples compared to other countries.  My own feeling is that you should NOT look at other countries. Who says that they are right. Viet Nam has its own unique characteristics which set it apart from the Western world and make it special. Maintain your identity, your culture, and your personality. You have many things in VN which I believe are better than other countries. In other countries, they do not wear uniforms in school, but it sets up a barrier between the have and the have nots. In VN, there are many more people who believe in religion than the U.S. or Canada, which I believe is right.  In V.N. the focus is on work and the economy, not war and what the other countries are doing. Try to do what is right for Viet Nam, not what the rest of the world is doing.  In summary, everything is dependent on what the “GOAL” is, and the GOAL needs to be, that men and women are created equal, therefore men and women need to have equal opportunities to be successful, fulfilled, and HAPPY.  This goal is much more effective than “ WE NEED 50% WOMEN IN EVERYTHING.”

I have tried my best to be honest with you and with myself in this article, if you do not agree with it, it is OK. If you find that it passes on a different perspective, that is OK. If you learn one thing from it, that is GOOD. If it stimulates a discussion with someone, that is GOOD. If it helps to improve knowledge and diversify your thinking, that is WONDERFUL. If it provides the framework to improve the system, then I could ask no more.