Changing Economic Roles of Men and Women in Northern Vietnam: An Analysis of Four Marriage Cohorts

Kim Korinek, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The effects of socialism, war, and market transition upon men's and women's workforce opportunities in Vietnam's Red River Delta are explored. War and economic transition brought marked shifts in the local labor supply and demand for labor in Vietnam during the late 20th century. Data collected in the 1995 Vietnam Longitudinal Survey illustrate changes in the occupational distribution of male and female employment across four marriage cohorts (1945-64, 1965-1974, 1975-1984, 1985-1994). Analyses demonstrate marked shifts in Vietnamese women's occupational opportunities over time. In particular, women made gains in professional, managerial and skilled production fields during periods of armed forces mobilization and wartime production. By contrast, the most recent period features a sizable increase in the share of newly married men and women working primarily in agriculture. The end of wartime conditions and policies supporting women's public employment has been accompanied by their return to the household and traditional economic sectors.