Job recruitments perpetuate stereotypes

HA NOI — Most job advertisements are not directly discriminatory in terms of the sex of the applicants, however there are still gender stereotypes favouring male applicants, according to a study on gender equality in job advertisements released at a workshop yesterday.

The case study, conducted by the Academy of Journalism and Communication and Institute for Studies of Society, Economy and Environment (ISEE), looked at five newspapers including Thanh Nien (Young People), Tuoi Tre (Youth), Tien Phong (Vanguard), Lao Dong (Labour) and Viet Nam News.

Out of 500 advertisements, dating back to 2004, 12.4 per cent were for men, 8.2 per cent for women, 11.6 per cent for both sexes and the rest did not specify.

In terms of qualifications, men have more opportunities for higher income and promotion. Even if the requirement of the sex of the applicant is not mentioned, in some specific situations, men have more chance of being recruited as managers than women. The study showed that 24.2 per cent of men get the chance to be leaders compared to 9.8 per cent of women.

The workshop also discussed gender stereotypes in Vietnamese text books for primary school students and gender inequality at work, and cited them as the main reasons for the male biased job advertisements.

Based on 487 lessons from 10 primary school textbooks, the Academy of Journalism and Communication (AJC) showed that women often take on unskilled jobs where as men often appear in jobs that require qualifications, skills or strength.

"Clearly, these gender stereotypes have impacts on perception, attitude, and behaviour regarding job allocation," said Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh from AJC.

Most employers are affected by this institutionalised inequality.

"To me, female teachers at nursery and primary schools work better than male ones, so when I post a job advertisement, I prefer female applicants," according to a director of a private nursery centre.

Moreover, Nguyen Huu Minh from the Institute for Gender and Family claimed:

"The reality of more men getting jobs in the fields of a technical and senior nature than women also contributes to the discriminatory trends."

To avoid the gender issue in job advertisements, it is necessary to have the full co-operation of relevant organisations and authorities.

"Gender equality will not be solved if future generations are exposed to gender stereotypes," said Nguyen Thi Thu Hang from AJC.

There should be a comprehensive strategy to eliminate gender stereotyping. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) suggests promoting gender equality such as equal rights, equal value and fair distribution.

"It is necessary to balance life and work because women and men have different roles in society which define their constraints", said Jonna Naumanen, Programme Officer of ILO.

At the same time, news agencies play an important role in collaborating with relevant offices and sectors to develop guidelines on job advertisements and measures to enforce them. Newspapers should also educate their staff on the issue.

"Newspapers can act as a gate keeper and provide advice to employers in order to make sure no gender insensitive and discriminatory advertisements are published," concluded Pham Huong Tra, researcher and lecturer at AJC. — VNS