Women with Business and Gender Equality

Vietnam Business Forum has an interview with Madam Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh, Chairwoman of Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council (VCCI), ahead of the Global Summit of Women 2016 to be held on June 9-11, 2016 in Warsaw, Poland. Lan Anh reports.

The Global Summit of Women is an international forum for women founded in 1990, organised annually on a rotational basis across the continents, and aimed to promote the engagement and contribution of women in social and economic life all over the world, especially in the business sector.

 

The Global Summit of Women 2016, themed “Women: Building an Inclusive Economy in the Digital Age”, is held in Warsaw, Poland from June 9 to 11, 2016.

 

According to the organisers, the summit will discuss important issues such as the Ministerial Roundtable: Public/private sector partnerships, advancing economic opportunities for women and girls, and the Mayor's Forum: The future of cities.

 

Particularly, the summit has the Plenary Session: Global and regional economic megatrends; Male CEO Forum: Defining an equitable workplace: and Debate: What makes an inclusive economy?

 

In addition, the summit has four breakout sessions. The first breakout sessions include Leadership Development Track: Effectively managing a multi-generational workforce; Entrepreneurial Track: Stepping from the brink: Recovering from business setbacks; and Issue Track: Growing the “silver” economy with technology.

The second breakout session includes Leadership Development Track: Developing human relations in the technological workplace; Issue Track: The power of many: Making collaboration work among women; Youth Forum: Creating digital businesses; and Global Women’s Leadership Awards Gala Dinner.

 

The third breakout sessions include: Leadership Development Track: Women on Boards Roundtable: How female board members can drive value and results; Entrepreneurial Track: Using social media to grow your business effectively; and Issue Track: Addressing the digital skills gap: Education for the next generation.

The fourth breakout sessions include Leadership Development Track: Leverage benefits for male-female communications; Entrepreneurial Track: Tech tools to expand your business’ productivity; and Issue Track: Redefining the "media" in the internet age.

 

Besides, the summit is also incorporated the Women CEO Forum: “The future of work in the age of digitisation and mobility"; and the nexus between culture, technology and creative industries.

 

 

The Global Summit of Women 2015 in Sao Paulo, Brazil with the theme of “Creative women, creative economies” confirmed women’s stronger, more aggressive roles. Women are really emerging to become co-keepers of keys to difficulties and challenges that the world has faced.

 

The Vietnamese delegation shared Vietnam's experience in advancing women’s engagement in building a sustainable economy, strengthening women’s participation in leadership positions and preferential policies for women workers. Vietnamese female entrepreneurs actively discussed women’s contributions to business operations, shared women’s challenges in business start-up, development and expansion. The summit agreed to strengthen cooperation to promote women’s positive contributions to business and all aspects of social life.

 

Through each meeting, Vietnamese businesswomen gained more valuable lessons and experience, had more confidence in proving women’s positions in engaging economy and society and solving international affairs. We also have many close friends, have business and leadership relationships and find effective business partners.

The Vietnamese delegation to this summit is comprised of typical women entrepreneurs at central and local levels who have endeavoured to overcome difficulties on the market, risen and made success.

 

 

Vietnamese women are always very subtle, sensitive and innovative. Many entrepreneurs and authorities use so-called "soft power", a power which is not just for women, but successfully used by women.

 

Businesswomen often uphold core values in main business areas and pay attention to social aspects and administration principles. Moreover, the wisdom, gentleness, insight and determination in any circumstance are their advantages in doing business. Dr Vu Tien Loc, President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), affirmed that “Women do business more supplely, diligently, economically and endurably than men. These virtues have helped businesswomen overcome the crisis.” Most women-owned businesses are small and medium-scaled. This drawback becomes an advantage in crisis because small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) adapt to new contexts and overcome difficulties and challenges more easily.

 

 

In gender equality, political equality is one of the key issues. Specifically, it is necessary to strengthen the voice and participation in political activities of women in all state bodies as well as in business.

 

According to the Vietnam Women's Union, women now account for over 50 per cent of the country’s workforce. They are present in all social areas. Nearly 49 per cent of employees are women. Female workers are typically working seriously, diligently, actively and creatively. However, the number of female leaders is still modest in State agencies.