“The evidence is clear: when more women join the labor market and the working environment is conducive, when women stand equal chances to get appointed to the top jobs, and when businesses close the pay gap between men and women, our economies grow more strongly. By promoting gender equality at work, these companies are gaining higher productivity and a better competitive advantage”, said Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr Craig Chittick.
The coalition (chaired by Ha Thi Thu Thanh, Chair of Deloitte Vietnam, and the Vice Chair is Ton Nu Thi Ninh) will lead efforts to create work-places where women and men have the same opportunities to contribute and advance in their chosen careers. The seven founding members of the VBCWE are Deloitte Vietnam, Maritime Bank, Electricity Vietnam (EVN), SASCO, GARCO 10, Traphaco and Unilever Vietnam, with an estimated 120,000 Vietnamese employees.
Photo: Binh Chau
These companies have committed to closing the gender pay gap, progressing women into leadership and management positions, progressing female work force participation, investing in family-friendly working conditions, having managers drive gender equality, and being strong advocates of gender equality among peers.
VBCWE is supporting coalition members to achieve EDGE Certification, a global standard to assess businesses’ policies and practices against gender equality benchmarks and help companies take steps to create more equitable and profitable workplaces.
“By having gender equality in all employment opportunities, companies attract and retain talent. In return, the employees improve productivity and business efficiency. Gender equality policies will help improve image and brand, an important invisible asset of our companies. The Coalition is using EDGE Certification as a tool to provide a rigorous approach within our companies”, shared Ms Thu Thanh.
Gender equality is a priority for both Australia and Vietnam. The Australian Government is committed to promoting women’s economic empowerment as a significant driver of economic growth and prosperity especially in the Southeast Asian region.
As one of the Australian Government’s initiatives, Investing in Women aims to increase and improve women’s participation in Southeast Asian economies, particularly in the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar. It has been estimated that Vietnam’s economy could grow by an additional 10% (USD40 billion) by 2025 with improvements in gender equality1.
In addition to working in partnership with businesses, Investing in Women works with impact investors to develop better access to financing for women’s small and medium enterprises. The initiative also collaborates with governments to foster an environment where women have the same opportunities to succeed in the business world as men and works with advocacy partners to tackle harmful social norms, which limit women’s ability to participate in the economy./.