Vietnam third in women's senior management presence

Vietnam’s proportion of women in senior management positions is behind the Philippines (48 percent) and South Africa (43 percent), according to a recent report released by Grant Thornton International.

Vietnam’s ratio in this regard was also higher than the global average of 31 percent as it shared the third spot along with Brazil and India.

The top four roles of Vietnamese women in business, according to the report, are: Chief Finance Officer (60 percent), Human Resources Director (59 percent), Chief Marketing Officer (34 percent) and Chief Operating Officer (32 percent).

In Vietnam, 99 percent of businesses have at least one woman in senior management as against the global average of 90 percent, the firm said.

The report noted that the Covid-19 pandemic has compelled the businesses to diversify their workforce, especially in Vietnam, and this can work to the women’s advantage.

Sixty percent of Vietnamese businesses started promoting work life balance and 57 percent started adapting to new developments to change the environment, which are among the biggest priorities for women. In comparison, the global numbers are 45 percent and 38 percent respectively.

Eighty-three percent of respondents in Vietnam believe that the new working practices will benefit women’s career trajectories in the long term, compared with 69 percent globally.

Vietnam also ranked third globally at 51 percent in terms of gender parity initiatives at senior levels in business establishments, after Brazil and India.

"Those businesses that want to reap the benefits of a better gender balance must continue to take action to enable women to realize their ambitions," said Nguyen Thi Vinh Ha, national head of Advisory Services and deputy general director, Grant Thornton Vietnam.

The report surveyed 10,000 businesses across 29 economies, including 101 from Vietnam.