Vietnam completes 11 out of 20 gender equality targets: Minister

By 2023, Vietnam had fulfilled and exceeded 11 out of the 20 national targets set in the national strategy on gender equality until 2025, according to Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung.

Reporting the implementation progress of the gender equality targets in 2023 at the 15th National Assembly (NA)’s 7th session on May 22, Dung said that three out of the 20 targets were partly completed, and two others were close to the targets set for 2030.

Gender equality in the fields of politics, economy, labour, employment, education and training, social security, information and communications continued to be bright spots with many advances compared to the previous years, the minister said.

However, Dung pointed to four targets that are lagged behind, especially the sex ratio at birth which still tends to increase, and the pilot implementation of medical facilities providing health care services for the LGBT group.

Delivering a brief report verifying the Government’s report on the implementation of the gender equality targets in 2023, Chairwoman of the NA Committee for Social Affairs Nguyen Thuy Anh said that Vietnam's gender equality ranking in 2023 increased 15 places to the 72nd position out of 146 countries from the 87th position in 2021.

Vietnamese women have shown deeper participation in the policy and decision-making process, while taking on important leadership positions and making positive contributions to the cause of national construction and development, she said.

Anh noted that the ratio of female deputies to the 15th National Assembly reached 30.26%, exceeding the 30% mark for the first time since the 6th National Assembly, rising from the 71st to the 55th position in the world and the 4th place in Asia.

The income of female workers has improved. Women account for 55% of the workers participating in compulsory social insurance, and make up 51% of the total number of people receiving pensions and social insurance benefits, the official said, adding that women's roles and positions in families and society have also improved.

Achievements in gender equality promotion have contributed to enhancing Vietnam's role, prestige and image in the international arena. On April 9, Vietnam was elected to the Executive Board of the UN Women for the 2025 - 2027 tenure.

Anh underlined that Vietnam is one of the fastest aging countries in the world while the health care system has yet to meet the increasing demand of the elderly of whom 57% are women.

The official suggested the NA Standing Committee ensure the proportion of women in the number of candidates for the election of deputies to the 16th NA and People’s Councils at all levels in the 2026-2031 tenure.

She also asked the Government to continue to direct the completion of the legal system regarding gender equality, while strictly implementing the association of gender equality into the building of legal documents as well as the programme to strengthen the equal engagement of women in the leadership and management positions at all policy-making levels in the 2021-2030 period.