To what extent has economic development brought about changes to the Essay

To what extent has economic development brought about changes to the position of women in South East Asia discuss with examples from one or two South East Asia - Essay Example Recent news broadcasts herald the advancement of women in Vietnam and on the surface things look very positive: in State agencies, women hold 20% of managerial positions and they account for almost 26% in the National Assembly; the country has bred a group of self motivated female industrialists; their intensified role in society is also replicated in their involvement in science and technology, culture and sports; the number of female technical doctors and professors has increased in recent years, and female volleyball players and football players have bought fame to the nation with their excellent triumphs. (VietNamNet, 2007) While it mat be true that Vietnam leads the Asia and the Pacific region in key aspects of gender equality and within the Asia-Pacific region, is second only to New Zealand, in terms of female representation in the legislature, (VietNamNet, 2007) this equality is not as clear cut as it may seem. A report by the Asian Development Bank in 2007 says that with one of the highest rates of economic participation of women in the world, Vietnam is one of the more advanced countries in respect to gender equality. They tell us that there is little difference between genders in school enrollment rates, and that literacy is high for everyone, and the gender gap is decreasing."Equality between men and women is enshrined in the Constitution of Vietnam," (Ban De In, 2006) and according to the 1996 Constitution and related laws, women and men have equal rights with respect to economic opportunities, marriage and family matters, political input, community management, and ownership of property including land. The 2000 Law on Marriage and Family specifies that certificates for the use of common land by a household must list the names of both the husband and wife, thus signifying shared ownership. However, the prior 1993 Land Law, does not mention dual ownership, and in most cases, these certi ficates are registered in the name of the husband or male head of the household. This in turn, makes it more difficult for women to obtain credit for business opportunities. Although women, by law have equal rights in terms of property, they are often hindered by social factors, which intersect and conflict with legislation and enforcement of these equal rights is usually left to the judgment of local officials, who are usually male and vie in favor of the male member of the household. (Fahey et al, 2002) In 2002, the Vietnamese government approved the National Strategy for the Advancement of Women to 2010. "The strategy aimed to improve the material and spiritual lives of women, and create good conditions to effectively implement fundamental rights and promote the role, of women in political, economic, cultural and social fields." (Vietnam Embassy USA, 2006) Although to date, many of the targets set by the strategy for women's advancement such as, providing jobs, abolishing illiteracy, reducing the mortality rate related to pregnancy and birth, and increasing the rate of female representatives in the people's councils at all levels, have been