Towards Universal Maternity Protection in Viet Nam - The Case of Multi-tiered Maternity Benefits

Abstract

Maternity protection is a key labour right of working women.International Labour standards are key references points in efforts to gradually
expand maternity protection, which includes income security (through cash benefits), leave policies and effective access to good-quality maternal healthcare for pregnant women and mothers of newborns. Viet Nam’s maternity benefits are among the region’s most generous system in terms of duration and replacement rate. However, the main drawback of the maternity system in Viet Nam is its low coverage. Only workers in the compulsory social insurance system have access to maternity benefits. Lack of income security during the final stages of pregnancy and after childbirth forces many women,
especially those in the informal economy, to keep working into the very late stages of pregnancy and/or to return to work prematurely, thereby exposing themselves and their children to significant health risks. In light of the coverage gaps and demographic projections, and as part of the country’s overall efforts to extend social protection, Viet Nam has committed to improving maternity protection for all working women. This paper aims to assess the current situation of maternity benefits in Viet Nam and the negative impacts of lack of income security during maternity benefits for women in the country, using the findings from the recent survey by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in collaboration with Viet Nam’s Women union. This paper proposes the development of a multi-tiered maternity benefits system,which is a combination of social insurance and non-contributory benefits, as
the potential solutions to expand access to maternity benefits in Viet Nam.