We examine the extent of change in gender relations within the Vietnamese family in the Red River Delta over the last four decades. During this time socialist policies emphasized gender equality although recent commentators speculate about negative effects of the transition to the market economy. Data come from a survey of three cohorts married during periods corresponding to the war with America, reunification, and economic renovation and permit comparisons of the situation at the early stages of their marriages. Overall our findings suggest that continuity rather than change characterizes domestic gender roles across the cohorts. Overwhelmingly, wives took primary responsibility for common household chores. There is increased involvement of husbands in household budget management and modest increase in sharing of childrearing responsibility. Still, despite over a half century of socialist policies, considerable gender inequality in domestic domains is still the rule. The evidence does not, however, support claims that renovation has increased the inequality.
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