Abstract
Vietnam is considered one of the fastest-growing economies in the Southeast Asian region, but the country’s economic development and socio-economic sustainability are marked by significant gender imbalances. As such, this chapter offers a valuable contribution to this field of study, as it engages with a quantitative analysis of microfinance tools and the role that they can play in helping to empower women in Vietnam. Women are important economic actors with unquestionable social and economic contributions. This research study is supported by a sample of 351 women microfinance-borrowers in Tra Vinh province located in the Mekong Delta in the southern region of Vietnam. The implementation of logistic regression modelling contributed to the identification of relevant factors that aided women in enhancing their economic, social, and family role. In addition, the analysis is supported by insights from interviews conducted with relevant microfinance institutions that offer further insights into the value of microfinance to address inequality barriers in Tra Vinh province. The empirical outcomes highlight that microfinance tools have enabled women borrowers to have access to the needed financial resources. Access to financial resources has enabled women to exercise some level of control over their own income and savings, but women are still heavily reliant on males due to their historical culturally dominant role. This is a small but very important achievement in a society that is dominated by its patriarchal system, and where microfinance has contributed to facilitating women’s access to financial resources that are mainly used to look after their children, family needs, and in some cases for their own use. The study identifies the role of women’s unions as being crucial to help in bridging loans between microfinance providers and their members while promoting and supporting the development of economic independence and social recognition for Vietnamese women.
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Notes
- 1.
For centuries, Vietnam has been influenced by Confucian culture, which emphasizes patrilineal tendencies (sons carry the family lineage and inheritance), patrilocal traditions (young married couples living with or close to the husband’s family), patriarchal traits (male family members represent a great share of the decision-making power), and kinship. These dominant characteristics have guided practices and resource allocation among Vietnamese men and women. However, certain scholars have argued that the Confucian heritage may have had a greater influence on elite populations, and that Vietnamese women in general have shared more power in their day-to-day decision-making process (with their husbands) than their counterparts in China, partly due to the Southeast Asian cultural roots of Vietnam.
- 2.
Nearly 85.5 per cent of Vietnam’s population belong to the Kinh ethnic group (Vietnamese), and 14.5 per cent of the population belong to 53 other ethnic minority groups, according to official statistics released on April 1, 2019 (Government of Vietnam, 2019).
- 3.
Three questionnaires were incomplete; as a result, valid questionnaires for this study numbered 348.
- 4.
VND is Vietnamese dong (1 euro = 26.000 VND) (January, 2020).
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Appendix
Appendix
Indicators of women’s empowerment
Indicators | Description | |
|---|---|---|
1 | FASSETE | Do you think since using microfinance services and joining a women’s union you have control over your financial assets? Could you please mention some improvements? |
2 | INCOME | Do you have increased control over your own income? |
3 | SAVINGE | Do you have increased control over your own savings? |
4 | MONEYE | Do you have increased control over access to money for your own use? |
5 | MOFREE | Do you feel you have more mobility and freedom since using microfinance services and joining a women’s union? Could you please mention some activities? |
6 | OTUSITE | Do you have to ask your husband or a senior family member for permission to go outside the local ward/commune? |
7 | VPHE | Do you visit your parental home without asking for permission? |
8 | GLOCALE | Do you have to ask your husband/a senior family member for permission to go to a community centre, park, or plaza in the local ward/commune? |
9 | VFRIENDE | Do you have to ask your husband/a senior family member for permission to visit friends/relatives? |
10 | GSOE | Do you have to ask your husband/a senior family member for permission to go to a social union/NGO/MFI office? |
11 | GHEALTHE | Do you have to ask your husband/a senior family member for permission to go to the health centre? |
12 | MAKEPE | Do you have the ability to make a purchase since using microfinance services and joining a women’s union? Could you please respond to the following questions? |
13 | FURNITURE | Do you buy household furniture independently? |
14 | CLOTHE | Do you buy clothing for yourself independently? |
15 | UTENSILE | Do you buy utensils for the household independently? |
16 | JEWELLERYE | Do you purchase jewellery independently? |
17 | CCLOTHE | Do you purchase clothes for your children independently? |
18 | CFOODE | Do you buy daily consumable food items independently? |
19 | CBYE | Do you buy ice creams, candies, or cookies for your children independently? |
20 | EDME | Are you involved in economic decision making since using microfinance services and joining a women’s union? Could you please respond to the following questions? |
21 | HOUSE | Do you participate in decisions on house repair/construction? |
22 | CEDUE | Do you participate in decisions on children’s education? |
23 | DURABLE | Do you participate in decisions on what consumer durable to buy? |
24 | BANKAE | Do you participate in deciding to open a bank account? |
25 | PSHOUSE | Do you participate in the purchase/sale of the house? |
26 | USEME | Do you participate in decisions on the use of borrowed money? |
27 | BUYFRRE | If you wanted to buy yourself a dress/sari, would you feel free to do it without consulting your husband (or a senior member of your family)? |
28 | BUYSIE | If you wanted to buy yourself a small item of jewellery, such as bangles or beads, would you feel free to do it without consulting your husband (or a senior member of your family)? |
29 | LEGALE | Do you have legal awareness since using microfinance services and joining a women’s union? Could you please respond to the following questions? |
30 | ADOMESTICE | Are you aware of women rights against domestic abuse? |
31 | BSALARYE | Do you know about basic salary per month? |
32 | MMAGE | Are you aware of women’s minimum marriage age? |
33 | LMDIVORCE | Are you aware of the legal method of divorce? |
34 | LWHOUSE | Do you know about the maximum legal working hours per day or week? |
35 | COERCIVE | Do you have control over interpersonal coercive tactics since using microfinance services and joining a women’s union? Could you please respond to the following questions? |
36 | COERCIVE | Are you afraid to disagree with your husband for fear he may become angry with you? |
37 | BEATE | Does your husband hit or beat you? |
38 | CDVIOLENCE | Do you have a better check on domestic violence/alcoholism from your husband? |
39 | DFMILYSIZE | Can you make decisions on family size since using microfinance services and joining a women’s union? Could you please respond to the following questions? |
40 | WCHILDE | Do you participate in deciding when to have a child? |
41 | NCHILDE | Do you participate in deciding how many children to have? |
42 | FDCHILDE | Do you make the final decision to have children? |
43 | HEALTHSE | Do you receive better health services since using microfinance services and joining a women’s union? Could you please respond to the following questions? |
44 | BTREATE | When you are ill do you receive better treatment? |
45 | RPHEALTHE | Do you have a regular plan to seek health services? |
46 | EHEALTHSE | Do you have easy access to medical facilities through local health services? |
47 | CHEALTHYE | Can you complain directly to health workers when you are not satisfied? |
48 | CONTRACE | Do you know about the use of contraception? |
49 | TCREPROHE | When you born the child do you get the take care of health from your husband? |
50 | POLITICALE | Do you have political empowerment services since using microfinance services and joining a women’s union? Could you please respond to the following questions? |
51 | LOCALME | Do you participate in the meetings of the local (ward/commune) people’s committee? |
52 | PARTYME | Do you participate in the meetings of the local level of the Communist party? |
53 | VOTE | Do you participate in the elections of the people’s council as a voter? |
54 | CANDIDATE | Do you participate as a candidate in local body elections? |
55 | SELECTE | Have you ever been selected as a member of local government? |
56 | GIRLVOICE | Do you have a voice for your girl children since using microfinance services and joining a women’s union? Could you please respond to the following questions? |
57 | SCHOOLGE | Can you make a decision about choosing a school for your girl child? |
58 | BCLOTHEGE | Can you make a decision about buying clothes for your girl child? |
59 | CAREERGE | Do you participate in decision making in career choices for your girl child? |
61 | WOMENDAYE | Do you celebrate International Women’s Day with your girl child? |
62 | HSGIRLE | Do you take the advice of health services for your girl child? |
63 | PROBLEMCE | Do you have any problems and challenges since using microfinance services and joining a women’s union? Could you please respond to the following questions? |
64 | STREESE | Do you have additional stress about saving and repayment of loan? |
65 | WORKEFFE | Is your routine/daily work affected? |
66 | CHILDNE | Do you have neglected children? |
67 | NONCOPE | Has non-co-operation from your family/husband increased? |
68 | SOLVEPINDE | Do you think you will be able to solve the problems independently? |
69 | NCONFIDENCE | Do you have confidence to work? |
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Bui-Thanh, L., Morales, L., Andreosso-O’Callaghan, B. (2022). Microfinance: A Gender Equality Tool in the Context of Vietnam. In: Andreosso-O'Callaghan, B., Rey, S., Taylor, R. (eds) Sustainable Development in Asia . Contributions to Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94679-1_8
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