Gender equality is both important in its own right as well as a contributor to poverty reduction and economic development, says the World Development Report 2012 on Gender Equality and Development.
Vietnam has made significant progress in gender equality, but important challenges remain both socially and economically. Policy actions are needed to address these challenges in the context of an economy making the transition from low to middle income.
The WDR 2012 calls for action in four areas: addressing human capital issues, such as excess deaths of girls and women and gender gaps in education where these persist; closing earning and productivity gaps between women and men; giving women greater voice within households and societies; and limiting the perpetuation of gender inequality across generations.
The report recommends that policymakers focus on the most stubborn gender gaps that rising incomes alone cannot solve. It is by fixing those shortcomings that the payoffs to development are likely to be greatest, and where policies changes will make the most difference.
