Economic Contributions of Husband and Wife in North Central Vietnam

Tóm tắt

In the Vietnamese family, the responsibility of making contributions towards the household economy is shared by both the husband and the wife. The participation in maintaining and improving the household income has really enhanced the position of Vietnamese women. This basic feature has led to a view in the Vietnamese culture, that the total household income is the result of both the husband’s and the wife’s contributions, no matter who directly undertakes income-generating activities. Some sociological surveys have been conducted on this issue, but few of them were done in the North Central region. This article asserts that in the regions surveyed areas, people think that men have higher incomes than women, with the income disparities more clearly indicated among groups including those of the youth, the higher-educated, and the salaried employees. Most people still maintain the traditional view that making money is the husband's job, while the wife's role is to take care of the home. Yet, the majority of respondents stated that their economic contribution is not underestimated by their spouse. The article also indicates the close relationship between the individual and family characteristics of the respondents and the economic contribution of the spouses and their attitudes towards the issue.