Bearing the burden on "two shoulders"

(Baonghean) - Vietnamese women, with their inherent roles, have cultivated admirable moral qualities: compassion, loyalty, faithfulness, and self-sacrifice. Along with the development of modern life, these traditional moral qualities of Vietnamese women have been developed and upgraded into new standards: self-confidence, self-respect, loyalty, and diligence. They become scientific researchers; business owners; teachers bringing literacy to remote areas... shouldering both national and domestic responsibilities.

Female engineers inspect product quality at Vicem Hoang Mai Cement Joint Stock Company. Photo: HV

Over time, no matter how the standards for women may change, women will always remain the "keepers of the flame" in every family, playing a crucial role in maintaining happiness and providing a strong support system for their husbands and children. Mrs. Le Thi Ninh (64 years old), from Hamlet 9, Nghi Lien Commune, Vinh City, shared: Her greatest joy is cooking delicious meals for her husband and children every day, teaching her grandchildren good values, and tending to her garden and fish pond in her free time. It's heartening that three generations live together in her family, and her three daughters-in-law, despite living in the same house, get along very well and are very caring towards their families.

Speaking about the role of women in the family, Mr. Le Ngoc Nam (65 years old), her husband, shared: "The saying 'Men build houses, women build homes' is very true for our family. In my youth, I served in the army, then transferred to the medical field, spending long periods away from home. My wife, Ninh, single-handedly took care of our three young children and my elderly parents. Without her hard work and sacrifice, our family would surely not have such complete happiness."

Along with the development of modern life, the traditional moral qualities of women remain unchanged and have been developed and upgraded into new standards: self-confidence, self-respect, loyalty, and diligence. They not only fulfill their roles as wives and mothers in the family but also excel in public affairs, successfully completing the tasks assigned to them by society. For example, Ms. Phan Thi Thuan – President of the Women's Association of Hung Tan commune (Hung Nguyen district) – single-handedly shoulders both public and domestic responsibilities. Her husband is a soldier stationed in Dak Lak, returning home only a couple of times a year, at most for a few days or a week before leaving again. At home, Ms. Thuan single-handedly cares for two young children: her eldest son is in 6th grade, and her second daughter is just over 2 years old. Ms. Thuan's day begins at 4 a.m. and ends at midnight.

To be able to complete her work, she created a detailed schedule for all three of them: from what time to do in the morning, what to feed the children, what time to pick up her son at noon, what time to take him to his extra classes in the afternoon, what time to pick up her daughter from kindergarten… to what tasks to handle at the Women's Union today, which neighborhood to go to guide women in applying for poverty alleviation loans, where to participate in divorce mediation with other organizations, what time to attend training classes in the district… Ms. Thuan confided: “Many times I wanted to quit my work at the Women's Union, but the trust of the women in the community kept me going. With my husband's encouragement and support, I feel warm and motivated to shoulder both responsibilities.”

In the past, coastal women often stayed by the sea, waiting for their husbands and children after their long voyages. Their lives were entirely dependent on their husbands' fishing trips. But today, coastal women have overcome difficulties, developed their businesses, and become business owners of seafood processing factories. Ms. Hoang Thi Hau (Block 4, Nghi Thuy - Cua Lo Town) - owner of a seafood processing facility, earns a total income of 1 billion VND per year, providing employment for 10 women with salaries of 4.5 to 5 million VND per month. Her concern is to strive to expand production scale further to create more jobs for women in the area.

Over time, women have gradually asserted their position, capable of performing various tasks and not lagging behind men. Many have become general managers, heads of agencies, chairpersons of boards of directors, etc. In particular, many have made a positive impact in scientific research; many are the leaders of projects and research topics that have been evaluated as excellent.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan, Head of the Department of Political Theory at Nghe An University of Economics, stated: “In the workplace, women face more difficulties than men because, regardless of their job or position, women must first and foremost manage their family responsibilities and handle other relationships such as with their in-laws, friends, etc. However, I believe that with determination and the support and favorable conditions provided by their agencies and units, female intellectuals will overcome the time constraints to manage and conduct scientific research.”

Women in Quynh Dien commune (Quynh Luu district) participate in the production of rattan and bamboo products for export. Photo: Canh Yen

In personnel management, during the past term, thanks to the specific and close guidance of Party committees and authorities at all levels, the quality and quantity of female cadres in the province's political system have steadily increased. Currently, 100% of female leaders and managers in provincial-level departments and agencies, as well as female leaders and managers at the district level, have a university degree or higher; 100% have a bachelor's degree, advanced political theory certificate, or equivalent. The number of female cadres promoted and appointed at all levels and in all sectors is also increasing.

Since 2011, 100% of female officials have been evaluated as having performed their duties well or better. This serves as a basis for our province to aim for increasingly higher targets for female officials. The Provincial Party Standing Committee has emphasized several targets to strive for from now until 2020, such as: The percentage of women participating in political theory and state management training courses reaching 30% or more; the percentage of female officials participating in Party committees at all levels reaching 25% or more; the percentage of women participating in People's Councils at all levels reaching 35% or more; and 60% of departments and agencies, and 100% of People's Committees at all levels having female leaders at the head or deputy head level.

President Ho Chi Minh once said: “Women are half of society. If women are not liberated, then half of humanity is not liberated. If women are not liberated, then building socialism is only half-completed.” Remembering Uncle Ho's words, today all levels and sectors are striving to help women “liberate” themselves from family worries so they can confidently move forward in the era of international integration. And to fully shoulder the burdens of both “national affairs and family affairs,” in addition to personal efforts, the understanding and sharing of family members are essential, as is the support of society.

Thanh Thuy