-
 Although
there is an established tradition of women's business activity
in Vietnam, many businesswomen do not enjoy the same level of
services and support as their male colleagues. While existing
laws and policies in Vietnam do not overtly discriminate against
female entrepreneurs, cultural factors, such as dominant gender
stereotypes pigeonhole women into domestic roles or into
employment sectors that are undervalued and poorly paid. These
factors have a direct negative impact on the education levels of
female entrepreneurs in areas including marketing, business
expansion and the use of technology for business. To date there
has also been a lack of services tailored to meet women's needs,
especially when it comes to time management, training and human
resource management.
Enterprise development is widely recognized as contributing to
the economic empowerment of women and promoting gender equality.
However, not all women are born as entrepreneurs; instead,
business skills must be learned, either from colleagues, family
and friends, through formal training and education, or from
experience. A recent nationwide survey conducted by IFC found
that business women in Vietnam are crying out for additional
support that can assist them in growing their businesses.
It is strongly recommended that the Law on Gender Equality
drafting team consider a number of temporary affirmative action
measures, including additional credit funds, vocational
education opportunities for upgrading skills, and the promotion
of women in leadership, to assist in reducing the “equality gap”
between men and women in Vietnam.
Ms. Froniga Greig, Gender and Social Development Advisor,
CIDA Vietnam
-
 Women
entrepreneurs face a number of barriers in expanding their
businesses due to: i) a lack of sufficient business management
knowledge and skills, ii) being disconnected from the larger
business community, and iii) a low level of encouragement and
support from the government and society. During the past few
years, a number of income generation programs initiated by
women's unions and some NGOs have mostly targeted poor women in
rural and remote areas. However, businesswomen in the formal
sector also need additional support in order to catch up with
male entrepreneurs, especially in the current context of strong
international integration.
With funding from the EU, female members of the Hanoi Young
Entrepreneurs Association have set up a “Network of Women
Entrepreneurs,” as they wish to have a place where many business
women can gather and share information and their experiences in
both running businesses and in managing their personal lives.
This network initiative has three major objectives: i)
Individual: to build capacity for network members through
training, technical assistance and experience-sharing; ii)
Business: to strengthen the connections and cooperation, both
among association members as well as between association members
and non-members; and iii) Community: to create more
opportunities for members to share their experiences with
balancing work and family responsibilities. If these goals are
achieved, the network can provide a good environment in which
women can share and overcome challenges that arise in their
personal and family lives, with their businesses, and with other
social responsibilities. Most importantly, these women can be
happier, more respected and more successful.
To date the network has 24 core members. In the future, the
network will try to attract more members from Hanoi and other
provinces. We suggest that the government and international
donor community give more support to women entrepreneurs'
networking initiatives throughout the nation so that the voice
of the women's business community becomes stronger in the
policymaking process and so that there can be many successful
role models for the younger generation.
Mr. Dang Duc Dzung, Vice Chairman,
Hanoi Young Entrepreneurs Association
-
Gender-specific training is particularly important. Research in
other countries shows that women learn differently from men, and
value the sharing and relationship-building that happens in
women-centered programs. This is not a reaction to perceived or
actual discrimination, but rather the recognition that women
have different learning styles and preferences from men.
Ms. Julie Weeks,
President and CEO of Womenable
(former Chief Executive Officer of National Women Business
Council)
-
 In
my opinion, there are no bank regulations or policies that
discriminate against women entrepreneurs. In Sacombank,
consistent loan policies are applied to all clients, male or
female. However, women tend to be more afraid of debt than men,
and, particularly because most women-owned businesses are of a
small or medium scale, women seem hesitant about using bank
credit for business development purposes.
In my experience, female customers, in many cases, have
different preferences than male customers when making purchase
decisions. When deciding on whether or not to use any bank
services, women conduct a very thorough assessment of those
service offerings, focusing on features, prices, delivery and
the attitudes of bank clerks. In order to attract more female
customers, Sacombank tries to develop new products and services
that address their specific needs, such as packaged bank
services and, through cooperation with Women's Clubs, organized
seminars and trainings specifically for women. Through our 8
March branch (where all of the clients are women), women can
access products and services that not only are available to the
general public but also are tailored specifically for women,
such as “Au Co” saving accounts.
Ms. Nguyen To Quyen, Director of 8 March Branch,
SACOMBANK
-
 In
order promote female entrepreneurship, there should be business
support and facilitation that address their needs, specifically
in the areas of: i) developing knowledge and skills in business
planning, financial management, marketing, and quality control;
and ii) promoting an enabling business environment through
policy proposals that address gender-specific barriers for women
entrepreneurs.
Regarding skills development, during 2001-2003, a joint project
between the Vietnam Women's Union and the Maastricht School of
Management trained around 12,000 women entrepreneurs in 62
Vietnamese provinces in a three-day business management. A
subsequent impact assessment survey measured the results of the
training by comparing a test and a control group of women
entrepreneurs four to six months after the training. It
confirmed that the training had improved the management
practices of the participating women entrepreneurs by
introducing business plan writing and new marketing techniques,
and by setting up financial management systems. The trainees
also had better technical innovation skills, an improved
capacity for product enhancement and had increased the
productivity of their businesses. The management training also
had an effect on business figures such as sales and income: 20%
of the trainees increased their incomes by 20% and more. In
fact, three months' worth of the extra income generated as a
result of the training equaled the direct cost of the training
event itself. These outcomes show that management training for
women entrepreneurs yields benefits for society as well. The
researchers were unable to confirm that the training resulted in
direct or indirect employment creation after four to six months.
With regard to the gender dimension, the survey presented an
interesting picture; although women entrepreneurs experienced an
increase in workloads and working time after the training, they
generally felt that they had a better quality of life and more
control in decision-making.
Women entrepreneurs in Vietnam also face the realities of
liberalized markets and increased competitiveness. Entrepreneurs
have to innovate; not doing so is equally, if not, riskier, for
the survival of the business. Successful innovation is in a
large measure an issue of identifying and controlling risks.
Policies, the regulatory framework and institutions are, in that
respect, important in minimizing the risk of innovation and
providing a stable and transparent context for formal and
informal rules. These factors are critical for improving the
business environment for women entrepreneurs in Vietnam.
Mr. Jaap Voeten, Maastricht School of Management
>> More...
|
