Female Workers in Textiles and Garments Firms

(Abstract)

This research aims at improving the understanding on the nature of women’s participation into the labour market of Vietnam’s garment –textile sector; exploring the opportunities and challenges; developing the policy recommendations for promotion of women’s participation into this labour market. The indicators used for assessment in this research include (i) quantity and quality of female labour; (ii) occupational differences; and (iii) gender wage gap. The research team has used data set processed from survey undertaken in 2001 on 150 Vietnam’s textile-garment enterprises operating in the North and South of Vietnam with the labour size of 50 employees and over, across all ownership forms. Based on the collected data, statistical analysis has been used to identify the interrelation between and the impact mechanism of factors toward the studied issues.

The research has found that although the textile and garment sector comprises of many female dominated occupations and jobs, the economic status of female workers in this sector is not equivalent to male workers. This is reflected by the under-representation of women in leadership and positions of technical, professional administration; or average income of female workers is less than that of male workers for the same work or occupational rung. The reasons are found to be the lower education of female versus male workers, especially for the high occupational rungs. Moreover, the social “barrier” lies in the “gender bias” that hinders women’s promotion to positions of leaders, managers or high –level technical administration. However, the survey has found that although women have less access to key managerial positions, they have perfectly performed their works.

The research has found that occupational expectancy of female workers in many occupations and jobs of textile and garment sector is lower than that of other occupations. These occupations and jobs absorb high ratio of women’s workers, thus, a large number of female workers is either transferred to other jobs or made redundant when they reach the ages of 40-45. This issue represents a real “challenges” for employers (enterprises) and the state, and a “barriers“ for female worker’ participation. The reasons include: (i) poor working conditions such as long-lasting stiff working posture; dusts, noises; (ii) over-time work for long term. Those factors more negatively affect women than to men, because women at the same time have to accomplish their works in enterprises and have to perform all household works or child care. The “double roles” as productive work and reproductive works has eroded their health and energy.

There are a number of policy recommendations that may emerge from the above findings. First, it is assured that development of garment and textile sector represents as a significant solution for creating jobs for female workers at present and in the future. However, in order to promote women’s participation in the context of globalization and international labour division, the improvement of labour quality of female workers in this sector is one of imperative requirements. Thus, the national vocational training strategy should pay higher attention and more resources on training textile and garment technology and expertise for women. At the same time, an appropriate mechanism should be developed to incorporate gender issues into work of upgrading occupational rungs and skills for workers from the stage of planning and implementation. Secondly, efforts should be done to promote the reinforcement of compliance of provisions by the Labour code in dimension of working conditions, overtime working hours, and policies for women workers. Thirdly, to complete the system of incentives schemes applicable for enterprises with many female workers; and fourthly, to improve the awareness on “gender equality”, eliminating all forms of discrimination against women, increasing women’s participation ratio in leadership and high-level managerial position in textile and garment sector.

As this study is the first study on women workers in garment and textile sector, many issues need better clarification, e.g. qualitative assessment on the impacts of various factors to women’s participation. Further work with the panel data continues into the future.