Overview of gender mainstreaming in agriculture and rural development in Vietnam

Abstract

Gender issues and gender inequality still exist in many countries, especially in remote and poor rural areas. Rural women often suffer from economic disadvantages, low self-confidence in the family and community, and limited access to health, social services, and extension services, which leads to lesser decision-making roles in the production and business of households and in leadership at work. In the context of digital transformation, women were found to be more disadvantaged in comparison with men. Gender mainstreaming activities have only recently become apparent in development efforts but are still limited in development projects. Promoting gender mainstreaming in rural development activities will be necessary to improve the capacity of women towards achieving rural development. Future interventions should pay more attention to building the capacity for women to access more educational and extension services in enabling environments. Institutional monitoring system to track progress in gender mainstreaming in agriculture and rural development will be very important to deliver wider impacts of development programs and projects.