More than 13 million: mass mobilisation and gender politics in the Vietnam Women's Union

Abstract

This article focuses on the Vietnam Women's Union (VWU): one of the oldest and largest machineries for women's issues in the world. This article explores how this mass membership organisation in a socialist state is currently addressing the realities of women's daily lives and gender relations in Vietnam. It considers the extent to which a mass state-led organisation triggers feminist solidarity. Our research, in one of the local branches of the VWU, examined the organisation's membership rates, programmes and activities, and its gender-equality objectives. We found that the VWU fails to challenge traditional gender norms, actually emphasising women's responsibilities in maintaining a 'happy family'. However, solidarity with the poor is a key concern of the district offices' agenda and many women do actually benefit practically from their projects. We conclude that the VWU's main weaknesses emerge from its hierarchical structure and a centrally planned gender policy, which avoids addressing critical power issues.Cet article se concentre sur la Vietnam Women's Union (VWU), l'une des machines les plus anciennes et les plus conside´rables du monde pour les questions concernant les femmes. Il traite de la manie`re dont cette organisation base´e sur l'adhe´sion de masse dans un État socialiste aborde actuellement les re´alite´s de la vie quotidienne des femmes et les rapports entre les sexes au Vietnam. Il examine dans quelle mesure une organisation de masse dirige´e par l'État de´clenche la solidarite´fe´minine. Les recherches que nous avons mene´es dans l'une des antennes locales de la VWU ont examine´les taux d'adhe´sion de membres a`la VWU, ses programmes et activite´s, et ses objectifs en termes d'e´galite´entre les sexes. Nous avons constate´que la VWU ne parvient pas am ettre en question les normes traditionnelles de genre, et qu'elle accentue de fait les responsabilite´s des femmes dans le maintien d'une « famille heureuse ». Cependant, la solidarite´avec les pauvres constitue une pre´occupation cle´a`l'ordre du jour des bureaux de district, et de nombreuses femmes tirent, de fait, des avantages pratiques de leurs projets. Nous concluons que les principales faiblesses de la VWU e´manent de sa structure hie´rarchique et d'une politique de genre planifie´e au niveau central qui e´vite d'aborder les questions cruciales de pouvoir.El presente artículo se centra en la Unio´n de Mujeres de Vietnam (UMV), una de las organizaciones ma´s antiguas y ma´s grandes del mundo. En este sentido, se examina co´mo dicha agrupacio´n de afiliacio´n masiva esta´enfrentando las realidades de las vidas cotidianas de las mujeres y las relaciones de ge´nero en el Estado socialista de Vietnam. Asimismo, el artículo analiza hasta que´punto una organizacio´n de masas dirigida por el Estado, puede incentivar la solidaridad feminista. Al realizar su investigacio´n en una de las oficinas locales de UMV, las autoras examinaron las tasas de afiliacio´n, los programas y las actividades de la organizacio´n, así como sus objetivos encaminados a ...

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