Tạp chí của Viện Nghiên cứu Con người, Gia đình và Giới, Viện Hàn lâm Khoa học xã hội Việt Nam Tên cũ: Tạp chí Nghiên cứu Con người: https://vjol.info.vn/index.php/ihs Tạp chí Nghiên cứu Gia đình và Giới: https://ifgs.vass.gov.vn/journal/Journal-of-Family-and-Gender-Studies--English-version-.html
An Assessment of Improving Access to Health Services and Social Services by the Joint Program on Essential Services Package for Women and Girls Subject to Violence in Vietnam (A Case-Study in Ben Tre Province of Vietnam)
In Viet Nam, approximately 63% of ever married women faced at least one forms of physical, sexual and emotional violence in their life and 31.6% experienced current domestic violence (in last 12 months) by their husbands. Abide by the international commitments; the Government of Viet Nam has taken great efforts in combating gender-based violence. Despite the strong political commitment, there are still many shortcomings and limitations in the current implementation and coordination mechanism for Gender Based Violence prevention and combat. The roll-out of the globally developed essential services guidelines package (ESP) in 2017 by United nations agencies in Viet Nam, presented an opportunity to build further awareness, common understanding and political will among government stakeholders and service providers to improve quality and expand services with new tools and capacities to meet the standards of the ESP principles for women and girls subject to violence. The ESP pilot activities have been implemented in Ben Tre province that aims to provide greater access to a set of good quality essential multisectoral services for all gender-based violence survivors. These essential services based on global guidelines are provided through the health, social services, police and justice sectors. This paper presents the finding of the endline assessment of the two-year pilot project (2018-2019) implemented in Ben Tre province to measure achievements of improving access to health services and social services only to identify gaps and limitations that have to further improve to meet ESP standards. Findings of the assessment clearly show that the awareness on the available services and its use in the community has increased and the ESP program has started showing its impact on improving awareness, use and quality of services. In comparison to the baseline, the availability and access of health and essential social services at end-line showed a clear proportional improvement across all the components.
Mental Health of the Elder in Rural Central Vietnam(Case Studies in Rural Areas in Quang Ngai and Ha Tinh Provinces)
This study uses the data of 307 older persons in rural Vietnam in 2017 to explore the mental health of the elderly in rural areas. The analysis results show that the physical health and diseases status of the elderly impact significantly on their mental health. The satisfaction with the economic conditions of the elder can also influence on their mental health. It is interesting to note that, family plays an important role in taking care of the spiritual life for the elderly. In addition, it can be seen that the community and community activities reveal significantly and positively influences on the elder’s mental health.
Barriers to Parent-Adolescent Communication: What do Insiders Say?
Research shows that the quality of the relationship between adolescents and their parents play a fundamental role in adolescents’ development and transition to autonomy and adulthood. One of the important indicators that reflects the quality of parent-adolescent relationship is their communication. Adolescent-parent communication is also an indicator of adolescent’s self-esteem, certain aspects of adolescent well-being and their coping strategies (Jackson,1998). However, there are some obstacles to parentschildren communication, especially in adolescence period. Using qualitative data from a research conducted by Institute for Family and Gender Studies in 2021 in Ha Noi, this paper is to describe the factors affecting communication between parents and adolescents. Finding shows that adolescents tend to open up with mothers than father. Generation gap is an important factor making communication between parents and adolescent challenging. Moreover, increasing time spent on social media and Internet decreases the time adolescents spend for their interaction with parents and increase risk of parentadolescent conflict. Time spending together can make parent - adolescent closer but in some cases, too much time can increase risk of conflict between them.
Parents' Care for Their Child's Mental Life: Rural Case of Vu Thu District, Thai Binh Province
This article aims to find out how parents in the rural area of Vu Thu district, Thai Binh province care about their children's mental life. The analysis data is based on the author’s survey on “The current situation of child care in rural families in Vu Thu district, Thai Binh province” conducted from May to October 2020 on 3 rural communes of Vu Thu district, Thai Binh province. Questionnaire interviews were conducted with 412 parents of primary school age children (from 6 to 10 years old). The analysis results show that younger parents tend to take care of all their children's problems and take better care of their children than the older parents. Parents who are public servants tend to take better care of their children than parents of other occupational groups. More educated parents tend to spend more time with their children. The higher the standard of living, the better the children are mentally cared for. Women and mothers are expected to take the caregiving role and have the main responsibility for taking care of their children's mental life.
The Willingness of Urban Elders to Participate in Labor Market: Case Study in Hanoi, Vietnam
Population aging has been identified as a clear trend since the turn of the century, followed by a decline in the labor market participation rate, reducing economic growth, while the state budget is unable to balance the tax revenue and financial support for the elderly. The elders face obstacles such as inadequate access to opportunities and resources including employment. These issues have triggered the requirement of productive ageing within the society. This study aims to understand the willingness to participate in the labour market of the current Vietnamese elder people. More specifically, it is to find out the elder people’s willingness to participate in the labour market based on the analyses of their resources such as information, education, income, psychological consciousness, that equip a person to utilize opportunities to be productive. It will also explain the interaction among these resources as well as their influence on the elderly’s willingness to participate in the labor market. The analyses are based on 20 indepth interviews of elder people living in Hanoi, Vietnam. The result confirms that there is a close relationship between elder people’s resources and their willingness to participate in the labour market. Practically, a better understanding of the elderly’s resources, in which some are easier to measure while some are important but hard to recognize, would be potential policy recommendations on the rational usage and preparation of labor resources among elder group, contributing to the "positive aging" process. Theoretically, this research is one of the first to determine the effects of one resource on another that lay the foundation of their agency in terms of their willingness for labor market participation
Women’s Participation in Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation (The Case of Thanh Hoa Province)
Recently researches on impact of climate change (CC) to Vietnamese women have been conducted at various scale and gender equality has been taken into account in process of planning and implementing interventions in climate change adaptation; women have been taking active part in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation (DRR&CCA). However, their roles have not been recognized as much as their contribution. Based on theories relating to gender, environment and development and interaction between disaster, climate change and gender equality, the paper discusses role and the participation of women in community-based disaster risk reduction and climate change adaption. The paper uses secondary data and observation to analyzed the role women play in (2) planning and decision making at grassroots level, (2) technical assistance in disaster risk reduction, (3) capacity building, an (4) climate change adaption livelihoods. From the findings, authors recommend on how to promote women’s role and gender mainstreaming as a solution to promote gender equality in community based disaster risk reduction and climate change adaption activities
Contents of Vietnam Journal of Family and Gender No.2 (Vol. 16) 2021
Solutions to Narrowing Gender Inequalities in the Mining Sector of Ethiopia
Ethiopia is Africa’s oldest independent country and its second largest in terms of population. However, academic literature about Ethiopia is still limited in Asian countries, including Vietnam. Most papers and reports about Ethiopia and Africa are crafted by international development agencies. This paper identifies gender issues in the mining sector of Ethiopia with the use of secondary data and life experience (the author visited Ethiopia in 2019 and did gender analysis and training on gender). The paper emphasizes that the links between gender equality and women’s empowerment and the mineral sector development are increasingly recognized in Ethiopia. Although the Government of Ethiopia has put a lot of effort in promoting gender equality in the mining sector, different gender issues still exist which hampers the sustainable development of this industry. The paper, on the one hand, contributes to the enrichment of academic literature about Africa. On the other hand, the paper suggests a solution to mainstream gender in public policy to make it gender responsive, to better satisfy the needs and expectations of workers in the mining sector. In addition, the author aims to share with scholars in Vietnam about gender equality and sustainable development in Ethiopia - a beautiful African country, but one which has rarely been academically written about.
Gender Differences in Parent-Adolescent Conflict
This article aims to investigate gender differences in parentadolescent conflict. Using survey data from research conducted by Institute for Family and Gender Studies in 2020 in Ha noi, study employs self-report data from a sample of adolescents in two high schools in Hanoi: one urban school and one rural school. The finding shows that adolescent has conflict with mother more than with father. Mothers take part in adolescents’ daily life more than fathers but when facing conflicts, fathers have more negative reactions. Regarding adolescent gender, male adolescent, compared to female adolescents, reports more conflict with parents.
Impacts of Acculturation on Family Relations in Mixed Ethnic Families between Tay People and Kinh People (Case Study in Chi Lang District, Lang Son Province, Vietnam)
Under the influence of historical, economic, cultural, social, and policy factors, the Tay and Kinh people in Chi Lang District, Lang Son Province, Viet Nam have long lived in the same area. Mixed marriage between two ethnic groups, therefore, is an inevitable result of a long-term co-resident process, which has contributed to the acculturation between the two ethnic groups. This paper is the result of a fieldwork research conducted from 2012 to 2016 using the methods of Anthropology and applying acculturation theory. The author discusses the current status of mixed ethnic marriage in Chi Lang District in the early years of the third millennium, thereby pointing out the impacts of acculturation on the change of family relations within the scope of mixed ethnic families between the Tay and the Kinh in Chi Lang with the focus on such aspects as labor division, children education, health care, and family belief activities
Knowledge, Practice about Female Workers’ Breast Cancer Prevention and Early Detection in the 10th Garment Joint Stock Company
Objectives: To describe female workers’ knowledge and practice on breast cancer prevention and early detection at the 10th Garment Joint Stock Company in 2017. Method: Cross-sectional description of 259 female workers. Results: 23.9% knew about factors that increased the risk of breast cancer, 21.6% knew that there was no vaccine to prevent cancer, 11.6% knew the age that was susceptible to cancer and only 22.8% of female workers had good knowledge of cancer prevention. The rate of having never heard of breast selfexamination method was 56.8%, mammography was 65.3%, the rate of having knowledge about breast self-examination method was only 19.7%, the time of performing breast self-examination was 28.2% and and the rate of knowledge of early signs of breast cancer was only 13.9%. The percentage of female workers with good practice on prevention and early detection of breast cancer was 79.9%, 100% of female workers did not smoke or drink alcohol, 53.3% of them consumed enough green vegetables as recommended; and 40.9% of them have a low-fat diet. The rate of self-assessment as a good practice for early breast cancer detection methods was very low: breast self-examination (11.2%), breast examination at specialized health facilities (22.8%), and mammography (8.1%). Conclusions: There is a disparity in knowledge and practice of breast cancer prevention and early detection among 259 female workers. The percentage of workers with correct knowledge about breast cancer prevention and methods of early detection of breast cancer was low, the percentage of female workers had good practice on prevention and early detection of cancer was quite high, but the rate of good practice when self-assessing practices of early detection methods was very low. Breast selfexamination was less accurate and however, regular self-examination would detect breast abnormalities early, increase the chances of treatment, and prolong the patient's life.
Labour Division and the Exposure to Air Pollution of Men and Women Working in the Craft Villages
Craft villages in Vietnam have created employment, making an important contribution to the economic development in rural areas. However, workers in craft villages face many risks arising from working in polluted environments, including air pollution. This article, based on qualitative data collected in some craft villages in Hanoi, reflects the exposure to air pollution associated with the labour division of men and women in craft villages, and its influences on the world of work of men and women. It is found that men often do more strenuous work and they are directly exposed to harmful emissions more than women. Nevertheless, women spend more time at craft production sites due to their less mobility compared to men, hence, the time that women are exposed to air pollution in the workplace appears to be more than that of men. Women also report more health problems relating to polluted air at the workplace. However, incomes of women in craft production facilities are lower than men's because the payment is usually based on the heavy nature of the work with little consideration of air pollution risks.
Contents of Vietnam Journal of Family and Gender 2022
Gender Equality and Women’s Rights to Land in Uganda: A Long-Term Campaign
This paper discusses how feminist theories have been applied in the explanation of gender-based issues and how feminist activists develop different approaches and measures to address these issues. The paper discusses the challenges faced by women in Uganda in accessing land independently and the patriarchal lineage in land ownership patterns which heavily rely on women's relationships with their husband's family and clan. The paper also highlights the efforts of advocacy coalitions such as The Uganda Land Alliance (ULA) and the Uganda Women's Network (UWONET) in promoting women's property rights in the Ugandan Land Act Reform. By tracking the progress of Ugandan women activists' campaign to demand women's rights to land, the paper emphasizes the important role of feminist theories in forming their activism and underscores the need for pragmatic gender equality policies to bridge the existing gender gap.
The Role of Family and Peers in Adolescent Deviant Behaviors (Case Study of two High Schools in Hanoi)
Adolescence is a distressing stage characterized by significant changes, including bodily changes, academic pressures, family dynamics, interpersonal conflicts and the demands of life. These factors can contribute to the occurrence of various deviant behaviors among adolescents if not effective controlled. Deviance in adolescence is often seen as a learning process, where adolescent acquire deviant behaviors from their close and intimate relationships. Family and peer groups are indeed the most influencing factors in adolescent deviance. This study, based on survey data collected in 2023 by the Institute for Family and Gender studies, aims to examine the frequency of deliquent behaviors and explore the association between family, deviant peers and adolescent deviance. The sample consisted of 600 adolescents aged 16-18 from rural and urban areas. Among four groups of deviant behaviors, namely drug assumption, deviance in social order, academic devianceand communicative deviance, communicative and academic deviance are two most populardeviant behaviors. The role of parents and peers in adolescent deviance is analysed through two aspects: the influence of parents/peers and their reaction to adolescent. This findings reveal that the percentage of adolescents having deviant peers is higher than the one of those who do not. Furthermore, in famillies where deviant behaviors occur more, there is a higher percentage of adolescents engaging in deviant behaviors. This study contributes to shed light on the frequency of deviant behaviors among adolescent and emphasize the importance of family and peer’s influences.
Gender Division of Labor in The Ede Ethnic Minority Group Families in Krong Jing Commune, M’Drak District, Dak Lak Province
This article is part of the findings from the research project titled "Strategic gender needs among the Ede ethnic minority group in the Krong Jing commune, M'Drak district, Dak Lak province" using qualitative and quantitative methods. Research findings show that the Ede ethnic minority group families are still matrilineal but the division of labor in the family is almost similar to the patriarchal society. Ede men mainly undertake responsibilities of the production and community role, while Ede women mainly undertake the reproductive tasks. As a result, Ede men have more chances to access and demonstrate their abilities in public space with opportunities to expand their knowledge and interact with others. At the same time Ede women are confined by private space that contains many barriers and limitations for personal development. This causes gender inequality as well as gives rise to strategic gender needs responsive to the foundation for harmonious development between husband and wife in the Ede ethnic minority families.
The Effects of Vietnamese Online Newspapers on Gender Inequality:A CaseStudy of the Representation of Women Leaders in Vietnamnet and VnExpress
Online newspapers have a key role in contemporary societies in shaping public opinion about women, and correspondingly, stereotyping them, especially women in leadership roles. In Vietnam, previous research has primarily focused on women leaders’ visibility in the media and stereotyped frames, leaving their roles when featured in news articles largely unexplored.This research proposes a multi-layered framework to understand how Vietnamese online newspapers represent women leaders and how this can create an additional challenge for women in general by examining 400 samples from Vietnamnet and VnExpress. Overall, women leaders’s voices are disproportionately featured in all fields. In addition, a discursive pattern is also found: a woman can only be seen as a successful leader when she can excel at business and family simultaneously. Such exclusion, misrepresentation, and discrimination in the news toward women leaders would send messages to audiences that women are not eligible to hold high positions and, therefore could deepen gender inequality and obscure challenges faced by women. The result suggests that journalists should shift their views on women leaders and involve more women in news articles as well as highlight gender inequality problems.
Contents of Vietnam Journal of Family and Gender
Towards Universal Maternity Protection in Viet Nam - The Case of Multi-tiered Maternity Benefits
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.
OVERALL CONTENTS OF THE JOURNAL OF HUMAN, FAMILY AND GENDER STUDIES IN 2025
OVERALL CONTENTS OF THE JOURNAL OF HUMAN, FAMILY AND GENDER STUDIES IN 2025 (Vietnamese publication) [FROM No1(136) TO No2(137)]
The Belt and Road in the Gulf: Geopolitical Dimensions of Special Economic Zones
Abstract: The Gulf States have been seeking economic diversification strategies through Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to reduce dependence on oil and promote sustainable development. Within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China has invested in several SEZs in the Gulf region. This article analyzes three typical cases: the China-Oman Industrial Park in Duqm, the petrochemical and chemical fiber project in Jazan (Saudi Arabia), and the China-UAE Industrial Park. Through case studies and document analysis, the research demonstrates that SEZs not only contribute to the Gulf States’ development goals but also enhance China’s geo-economic presence and geopolitical influence in the region.
Factors influencing study engagement among tertiary students
Abstract: This study is to examine study engagement among Vietnamese undergraduate students and the factors affecting it. A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted with the participation of 964 undergraduate students from 13 universities in Vietnam. Results show that the dispersion of students' study engagement scores is currently quite high, showing significant differences between students in terms of study engagement. The higher level of students’ engagement with their study promotes positive learning behaviors, and reduces delinquent behaviors in study. Data shows that personal factors (specifically, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, student mental health, and goal-oriented study attitude); family factors (specifically including family expectations for students’ study, family support for future employment, family financial support) have impact on study engagement, however at very different magnitude.
Age-friendly outdoor spaces and public buildings in cities: Older people’s perspectives
Abstract: Outdoor spaces and public buildings are integral components of livable cities and are identified as key domains in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) framework for age-friendly environments for older people. This study analyzed data collected from 402 older people in Da Nang and Hoa Binh city to evaluate their assessment of the importance of age-friendly outdoor spaces and public buildings in urban settings. The findings indicate that a well-functioning public lighting system, safe pedestrian crossings, and dedicated sidewalks for pedestrians and cyclists are considered the most crucial elements in this domain under the older people’s (OP) perspectives. The study identifies several factors that influence older people's assessments, including education level, the number of generations within a household, income, and the level of interaction with friends and neighbors. Participants reported that the availability of age-friendly elements in outdoor spaces and public buildings is currently inadequate, particularly in Hoa Binh city. These findings suggest that the government should urgently develop a comprehensive set of criteria for constructing age-friendly environments. This framework should be supported by detailed implementation guidelines and take into account varying socio-economic and demographic conditions.
Family and gender studies at The Institute of Human, Family and Gender Studies and some research orientations in the coming time
Abstract: The Institute of Human, Family and Gender Studies (abbreviated as the Institute) was officially established in April 2025 on the basis of a merger from the Institute of Human Studies (established in 1999) and the Institute of Family and Gender Studies (established in 1987). Since its establishment, the topic of family and gender has been the key research content of the Institute. Over the past 40 years, the Institute has implemented many national and international research programs and projects related to family and gender issues. On the basis of a synthesis of the Institute's published research works, this article analyzes a number of research results on the family and gender conducted by the Institute over the past 40 years. The article highlights the Institute's main contributions to the transfer of knowledge as well as its policy advisory role to promote gender equality and strengthening Vietnamese families. At the same time, given that family and gender characteristics in Vietnam are constantly changing under the impact of industrialization, modernization, and recently the process of digital transformation and international integration taking place extensively, the article proposes some directions for research and policy advice on family and gender in the coming time in order to best serve the country's innovation.
Human Development in the New Era in Vietnam: Status and Prospects to 2045
Abstract: From a sociological perspective, this article examines the current state and evolving trends of human development in Vietnam within the context of a rapidly changing era. Drawing on the synthesis and analysis of secondary data sources, the study highlights Vietnam’s notable achievements in improving healthcare, education, and living standards. Nevertheless, persistent challenges remain, particularly regarding inequalities in access to healthcare services, the quality of education and training, and their disparities. The article highlights the pressing need to boost investment in healthcare and education to meet the growing demands of an increasingly complex socio-economic landscape. Comprehensive human development is positioned as both a strategic objective and a vital driver of long-term sustainable and inclusive growth. The article ultimately argues that placing human beings at the center of development strategies is a fundamental condition for Vietnam to realize its aspiration of becoming a high-income, developed nation by 2045.
Table of Contents Journal of Human, Family and Gender Studies No. 1(01) 2025
The Journal of Human, Family and Gender Studies: merging toward new development goals