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
Gold prices plunged Thursday after the central bank said it would ask the country’s largest gold trader to sell more gold in the market.
The State Bank of Vietnam said in a statement on its website that although the local gold market has stayed calm recently, gold prices onshore were still high compared to the global market.
“The central bank will ask Saigon Jewelry Holding Company (SJC) to sell more gold in the market to soon bring local gold prices to the same level as global prices,” the statement said. “The central bank will also take other measures necessary to stabilize the price of gold.”
The precious metal lost VND1.43 million per tael on Thursday after staying over VND26.4 million the past few days. A tael is equal to 37.5 grams.
An SJC representative told Thanh Nien the Ho Chi Minh City-based gold trader, the largest in Vietnam, started increasing its gold sales Thursday. It sold 28,000 taels in the market, five times higher than the figure on Wednesday, while purchasing just 5,000 taels.
Nguyen Thi Cuc, deputy general director of Phu Nhuan Jewelry, said the company sold 2,700 taels Thursday, a 50 percent increase from its normal sales.
The Vietnam Economic Times said in a report that some large commercial banks were also asked by the central bank to raise their gold sales.
Dang Van Thanh, chairman of Sacombank, said the lender has prepared up to three tons of gold to help stabilize the market.
Traders said the government intervention has proved effective immediately. Many investors were caught off guard Thursday, losing huge money in just a few hours.
Ton The Quyen, sales manager of Sacombank, said investors should not buy gold right now as selling pressure on the market is really strong.
Cuc said it’s hard to predict how low gold prices would fall because the precious metal is also on a declining trend in the global market.
Still, Thursday’s close price of VND25 million (US$1,353) per tael, equivalent to $1,127 an ounce, was still higher than world prices. The metal fell to a three-month low in London as the dollar’s rally cut bullion’s appeal as an alternative investment. Gold for immediate delivery fell as much as $14.13, or 1.3 percent, to $1,049.57 an ounce.
A wind power plant in the central province of Ninh Thuan will be officially approved by the Vietnamese government this year.
The state-owned power utility, Electricity of Vietnam, has been tasked with preparing a plan for the project that will be submitted to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung by May, a government statement said Tuesday.
The Ministry of Planning and Investment has said it plans to use aid from Denmark to fund the project.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, 8.6 percent of the country’s land area has good potential to develop wind power projects, but it has been left untapped so far.
The only wind power plant in Vietnam is located in the central province of Binh Thuan. The 30-megawatt plant worth US$60 million was built by the Hanoi-based Vietnam Renewable Energy Joint Stock Company.
Le Tuan Phong, deputy general director of the ministry’s Energy Department, said several foreign investors have planned to build wind power plants in Vietnam with capacities of between 6 and 150 megawatts.
Credit grows 1 pct in January, deposits lag: Vietnam central bank
Loans in the banking system expanded 1 percent in January compared to December last year, the State Bank of Vietnam said Thursday in a report published on its website.
Deposits during the period only increased by 0.3 percent, raising more concerns over liquidity problems at the lenders, it said.
Many banks have raised interest rates on dong deposits to 10.499 percent a year, almost touching the rate cap of 10.5 percent set by the central bank. Some lenders have also offered bonus rates and other incentives but they have still found it hard to attract deposits, especially long term ones.
According to the central bank branch in Ho Chi Minh City, short term deposits now account for 70 percent of total funds that banks in the city can attract.
The central bank’s report said liquidity on the currency market improved last month after state-owned companies sold foreign currencies to lenders.
Vietnam’s major state-owned firms have sold $450 million to commercial banks to ease a dollar shortage, the government said early this week.
FLUFFY fingered farmers are pampering their dairy cows with massages and comfy mattresses to produce better tasting milk. Some spoilt herds are being tucked up each night on three inches of soft rubber and sawdust while some are lucky enough to get a WATER bed.
And for a special treat, farmers are even installing special MASSAGE equipment into the sheds belonging to their Frisian friends.
And farmers say all the pampering gives the milk better TASTE.
The barmy sounding moo-ves are part of the ‘Caring Dairy’ initiative set up by ice-cream maker Ben and Jerry’s.
They believe paying special attention to animal welfare makes the cows “happier” and prolongs their normally short lives.
Happy
Dutch dairy farmer Nancy Vermeer whose 80 strong herd supplies milk to the ice-cream giant from her Wapse farm, in the east of the Netherlands, said: “The cows have to be happy. If they’re not, they won’t give milk.
“Our cows used to lie on concrete but now they have mattresses made of soft rubber with a covering of sawdust which they prefer.
“Water beds are available but these can be very expensive.
“If a person is unwell their breath can smell, so I personally think you can taste the difference in the milk of a happy cow.
"It tastes sweeter.”
Neighbouring farmer Robert Welhuis has a personal masseuse on hand for his herd in the form of a thick bristled brush which cost Euros 1500.
“I’ve had it about a year and the cows really like it,” he said.
“They like to give themselves a scratch behind the ear.
“It keeps their skin in good condition, they pass back and fourth along the brushes which is like a massage for them.”
And even the boss agrees the initiative is worthy of a PAT on the back.
Ben & Jerry's co-founder, Jerry Greenfield said: “Comfy cows are happy cows.”
The patient shook his doctor's hand in gratitude and remarked, "Since we're the best of friends, doc, I wouldn't want to insult you by offering payment. But, you'll be pleased to know that I've mentioned you in my will.""That's very kind of you," replied the doctor. After some quick thought, the doctor added, "May I see that prescription I just gave you?""Sure, but why?" asked the patient.The doctor replied, "I'd like to make a small change..."
As a firm anti-smoker I'm usually first to be up-in-arms on spotting a sneaky cigarette displayed anywhere in the mass media. The workplace smoking ban was brought into my home country in 2004 and since then most smokers and non-smokers alike in Ireland consider indoor smoking pretty unacceptable.
I have to admit however, when asked about the smoking scenes in Avatar it took me a moment to even remember any – perhaps more a reflection of the stunning visual and technical wizardry of the movie than anything else. When I did recall Weaver's chain-smoking character, I connected it with an effort to ease her anxiety and amplify a certain masculinity in her character, rather than endear her to viewers as sultry or cool. I don't believe the act of smoking symbolised aspects of Weaver's character that many female movie viewers would necessarily aspire to.
Is the botanist character considered an icon or sex symbol to the thousands of young impressionable Avatar fans? Are movie-goers racing out to light up their first cigarettes after seeing Dr Grace in action? I doubt it. To see princess Neytiri or the rugged Jake Sully lighting up on our screens – now that probably would have given me enough fuel to begin a rant at James Cameron about his social responsibility to his young Avatarian apostles.
Steve Turner, British, London
The film, Avatar, is a phenomenal success. The enormous production costs seem to be paying off, with the film already exceeding US$2billion in ticket sales in just the few weeks since its release.
But, within this modern science fiction film there is an old practise of product placement that one would associate with the technologies of the last century, and shows a practise that is now illegal in many of the countries where the film is being shown – smoking in the work-place. There are two scenes where the character played by Sigourney Weaver smokes nervously in the laboratory, during work, among her colleagues.
Tobacco and smoking in films is an old practise, started before there was a full understanding of the hazards of tobacco and at a time when it could be seen as a realistic reflection of the society or characters that were being portrayed in the films. But in the late 20th century and certainly the first ten years of the 21st, the health implications of smoking are well known. Also well known are the skilful ways in which tobacco companies, in many countries of the world denied the opportunity to advertise their product, are using opportunities such as product placement to maintain the profile of smoking in general and, if possible, to promote specific brands.
What makes a multi-billion dollar global company promote a product that is responsible for 5 million deaths per year? It remains to be asked of the film's director and producers, among the many questions about style, technology, ground-breaking effects, science-fiction story lines and exceptional make-up skills: how much money were they paid to place this ludicrous but deadly harmful event – harmful to real people, not fictional movie characters – in their film?
Abu Ebrahimsa, Malaysian, London
They promote a habit that has been scientifically proven to be detrimental to your health. Film-makers just try and portray smoking as a ‘hip', ‘cool', ‘fun' habit and forget the medical consequences of having such both a harmful and costly habit. Yes there is the corporate social responsibility on part of the film makers to actively downplay smoking but even though there is a financial incentive to promote certain brands, is it not for the audience and public to realise what is good/bad and downright wrong. What the Vietnamese Government doing is good but is merely a short-term solution to a long- term problem. What governments need to do is to educate their population, as with education comes knowledge and hence realisation what is good or bad.
Another issue, if you look at it from the government's point of view, is that they receive tax revenue by promoting this product which ‘developing' countries need so where would they get that extra income?
Even in the most sophisticated, educated rich countries like the UK and the US, people smoke and there were ads and TV ads, so really education and awareness is a key way to tackle this problem compared to censorship.
Peter Howick, Irish, Ha Noi
I have not seen Avatar yet, but I think the smoking scene is not a big problem.
Firstly, this is a fictitious movie, so smoking may not harm human's health in this world. The success of this 3D movie includes a lot of factors such as good film script, impressive characters, awesome scenes, etc. Therefore, that one character asked for cigarette is a normal thing. The audiences receive and remember this movie because of its whole content and meaning, as well as the messages of the film makers, not due to one small detail. Secondly, the smoking scene shouldn't worry the anti-smoking community because a lot of people in the world know the harmfulness of smoking. The character in Avatar is just a person like some one in this real world; sometimes he needs a cigarette to reduce his stress and he can't stop smoking immediately. Maybe this character will give up smoking someday. Hence, such scenes may not promote the habit of smoking.
To sum up, Avatar is a film, and the smoking scene is not likely to have much of an affect on people.
Nguyen Ngoc Dung, Vietnamese, Ha Noi
You raised an interesting point about Sigourney Weaver's smoking in the brilliant Avatar. The film is surely destined to be the most successful film ever shown in Viet Nam, and the entire world.
However, I don't think her filthy habit will offend non-smokers. And I wonder if the reason we notice her puffing is because there is actually less smoking in movies than there used to be.
If you look at movies from previous decades you can barely see the characters for the smoke. In Key Largo, Humprey Bogart made cigarettes look cool by lighting them two at a time so he could hand one to his screen flame Lauren Bacall.
In the case of Avatar, however, I feel the character Ms Weaver plays is just blowing off some stress.
What would be disturbing would have been if the film had featured a particular brand. That is often the case in Hollywood films but not in Avatar.
Secondly people do smoke. And while I laud the government anti-smoking policies you can no more stop Hollywood from showing people smoking than you can stop Hollywood showing people getting beaten up or shot.
Finally Avatar is set many years in the future. As to whether there will still be smoking bans in the workforce then I couldn't say!
Ryu Hashimoto, Japanese, Binh Duong
As a light smoker, I think that smoking scenes don't promote the habit of smoking. It depends on each person's situation.
Tobacco is a luxury good and indispensable for some kind of films such as action films, war films and so on.
I think it must involve the social responsibility of film-makers to enlighten smokers regarding the harmful influence of smoking to non-smokers, especially for babies and pregnant women. That means film-makers should not only prohibit smoking but also should enlighten smokers where to smoke. In my opinion, Vietnamese smokers don't follow the rule in public. They smoke everywhere, all the time... It's a big problem not only for non-smokers but also smokers.
The present policy of Viet Nam is suitable one. How about increasing the price of tobacco such as in the US, Singapore, Japan? In Japan, the number of smokers has decreased because of the price of tobacco and the decrease in the number of places where people can smoke in public. How about adding terrible photos of lung cancer, pharyngeal cancer caused by smoking on the package such as in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia? I think that may decrease the number of smokers. — VNS
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