From Margins to Mainstream: Gender Equality in Viet Nam’s Water Governance

The report on gender equality in Vietnam’s water sector, prepared by the World Bank in collaboration with the Vietnam Institute for Water Resources and the Institute for Social Development Studies, delivers a detailed and nuanced picture of how gender disparities continue to shape the sector. While women are visible in the workforce, their roles remain largely limited to clerical, administrative, or community engagement positions. Technical posts in engineering, hydrology, and senior management are still dominated by men. This is not the outcome of free choice alone but the product of structural barriers, cultural norms, and institutional gaps that together prevent women from advancing in the field.

Education, Recruitment, and the Glass Ceiling

A major thread in the report is the enduring imbalance in education and training. Far fewer women pursue degrees in engineering and water sciences, a reality that feeds directly into gendered recruitment patterns. Utilities and agencies often hire men into technical and field positions, citing physical demands or safety concerns, even when women candidates are qualified. The result is a professional pipeline that narrows dramatically for women as careers progress. A table in the study reveals that fewer than 10 percent of senior managers in surveyed utilities are women. Testimonies collected for the report describe the frustration of women who are repeatedly overlooked for promotions or sidelined from fieldwork assignments, reinforcing stereotypes that they are unsuited for leadership. This cycle creates a self-fulfilling prophecy in which women’s absence at the top is used as justification for not supporting their rise.

Workplace Culture and Subtle Exclusions

Beyond recruitment, workplace culture acts as another barrier. Most agencies lack policies that would help women balance professional and family responsibilities, such as flexible hours, parental leave, or access to childcare. Without these supports, many women face pressure to leave technical tracks or accept lower-level roles. The report recounts an illustrative case from a provincial water company where women were excluded from inspection teams, a move framed as protective but ultimately damaging to their career development. Subtle acts of exclusion like these, denying experience, training, or visibility, have a cumulative effect, leaving women without the credentials that weigh heavily in promotion decisions. These practices, often invisible in policy but embedded in organizational culture, make it difficult for women to break through the glass ceiling.

Emerging Promising Practices

Despite the challenges, the report highlights promising examples of change. Donor-supported initiatives have introduced scholarships for women pursuing engineering degrees, mentorship networks, and gender-sensitive recruitment drives. In one program, scholarships led directly to an increase in women’s participation in provincial utilities, while the appointment of gender focal points in certain organizations has begun to shift internal practices. These examples show that progress is possible when institutions deliberately challenge bias. However, the report stresses that these successes remain small-scale and scattered. Without systemic reforms and strong leadership buy-in, they risk remaining pilot projects rather than becoming sector-wide norms.

Why Equality Matters for Service Delivery

Perhaps the most striking insight of the study is the connection between workforce inequality and service delivery outcomes. Women, especially in rural and low-income communities, are the primary managers of household water. Yet their exclusion from planning boards and utility decision-making means their priorities are often ignored. Consultations in the Mekong Delta revealed that women consistently prioritized water quality and affordability, issues that were less prominent in male-dominated planning discussions. By sidelining women’s voices, the sector fails to align services with the lived realities of its main users. The report also notes that Vietnam’s national gender equality strategies provide a strong mandate, but implementation in water agencies lags behind. Few utilities collect gender-disaggregated data, making it nearly impossible to track progress. In contrast, countries such as the Philippines and Australia have integrated gender indicators into performance contracts, offering useful models for Vietnam to adopt.

A Call for Systemic Reform

The report concludes with a clear roadmap for reform. It calls for embedding gender equality targets into utility performance agreements, reforming recruitment and promotion processes to address bias, and scaling up training and mentorship for women engineers and managers. Equally important are enabling policies: parental leave, workplace safety, and flexible work arrangements. The authors argue that systemic change will require not only donor support but also leadership commitment from ministries, agencies, and utility boards. Without top-level endorsement, gender initiatives risk stagnation. The study’s final message is that gender equality is not merely a matter of fairness. It is a strategic imperative for a sector grappling with climate change, rapid urbanization, and rising demand. By drawing on the skills and perspectives of women, Vietnam’s water sector can become more innovative, more inclusive, and ultimately more resilient.