Youths participate in changing gender stereotypes, promoting gender equality

As many as three million people living in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City, equal to 17 percent of the total population of the three biggest cities in Vietnam, will benefit from a project which started on September 25 in Hanoi.
Youths participate in changing gender stereotypes, promoting gender equality ảnh 1Young people take part in a dance performance at the launch of the gender equality project (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - As many as three million people living in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City, equal to 17 percent of the total population of the three biggest cities in Vietnam, will benefit from a project which started on September 25 in Hanoi.

The project aims to encourage young people to participate in changing gender stereotypes and promoting gender equality in Vietnam. It is scheduled to last until March 2024.

The project is a joint scheme by the European Union (EU) Delegation, Oxfam in Vietnam and the Consultative Institute for Socio-Economic Development of Rural and Mountainous Areas (CISDOMA).

Under the project, students will help create change in awareness and action on gender equality through social media campaigns.

Speaking at a conference to launch the project, Nguyen Thi Cuc Phuong, Deputy Principal of the Hanoi University, said gender equality was an important goal in the 21st century.

The role of the press, media and advertising in the effort to shorten the gender gap towards gender equality was extremely important, she said.

The National Strategy on Gender Equality 2011-2020 aimed to cut cultural and information products bearing gender bias by 60 percent in 2015 and by 80 percent this year. Young people and students can become pioneers in changing gender stereotypes.

"We fully believe that our organisations and universities will work closely for the common goal, which is to successfully implement the project to address gender bias and promote gender equality in Vietnam," said Phuong.

Le Van Thanh, a representative of the EU delegation, said that in the delegation’s research on employment, women with children faced many difficulties in applying for jobs.

When considering applications, the chances of women with children being accepted are lower than for other candidates. They are estimated to have lost more than 90 percent of job opportunities.

"Vietnam is a Southeast Asian country with advantages such as cohesion, diligence and creativity, but still has the thought of respecting men and disrespecting women. Men are important factors in changing gender stereotypes. Women can completely succeed in areas where there were only men, and men can do well in women’s work," Thanh said.

Attending the launching ceremony, director Nguyen Hoang Diep said: “Gender equality is to bring men and women closer together."/.
VNA

See more